Work on the hard standing facility at Marsaxlokk, aimed to enable fishermen to carry out maintenance work on their vessels in a more comfortable way, is nearing completion and the facility is expected to be in operation in March.

The project at Qrejten Point, on which Lm700,000 have already been spent, consists of land reclamation to provide a bigger space and the purchasing of two cranes to make it easier for the fishermen to take their boats out of the water.

In all, the site permits 16 22-metre vessels to be on land at the same time, a Department of Information statement said yesterday.

Up to 75 per cent of the project is being financed by the European Union under the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance. The rest is to be paid by the Maltese government.

Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino, who yesterday visited the site, said that the work is progressing well.

It confirmed the government’s commitment to provide better facilities for Maltese fishermen.

The DOI said that up to now, not enough space is available for vessels of a certain size to be brought to land for maintenance work. This meant that it was more convenient and cheaper for such vessels to be taken to Sicily rather than carry out maintenance work in Malta.

The provision of such facilities in Malta will enable the fishermen to carry out part of the maintenance work themselves, the DOI said.