Almost three weeks after it was opened officially by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, in the presence of EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, the EUR2 million hard standing facility for fishing boats at Marsaxlokk is buzzing with activity, with some 13 vessels raised on land as their crews are busy carrying out maintenance work.

Traditionally, this is maintenance week at Marsaxlokk, with fishermen bringing their boats ashore to refurbish them in the week leading to the village’s feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. Fishing means spending up to three days out at sea, so during this week the fishermen would rather carry out the maintenance work in the mornings and enjoy the festivities at night.

The 6,500 square metre facility included land reclamation and the purchase of two cranes (one 50-ton and the other 250-ton) to help fishermen pull their boats out of the water.Of the total cost, 75 per cent was borne by the EU under the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance and 25 per cent by the Maltese government.

Before the construction of the facility, Maltese fishermen had to either wait for their turn to pull their boat up on a site that could house three medium-sized boats at a time, or else repair their vessels in Sicily. The Sicily option, which had to be taken by the owners of larger vessels, was very inconvenient for the fishermen, as they had to sail there, stay while the boat was being repaired and then sail back.

For landlubbers, that might mean a nice trip to Sicily, but fishermen do not have any income while their boats are undergoing maintenance, in addition to which they have to pay for their accommodation and food, as well as fuel, and leave their families behind.

The new facility can take up to 16 boats of a maximum length of 22 metres simultaneously.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, National Fishing Cooperative president Anthony Carabott said the facility was still in its infancy and the users had to become fully familiar with it in order for it to be managed as well as possible. He added that the teething problems of the first few weeks were being resolved.

He said the fishermen were very pleased with the new facility, but they did have some misgivings about the price. To this end, he said, the cooperative was in negotiations with the government over obtaining a discount. He also said that traditional fishing boats such as luzzu and kajjik should continue to be repaired on the quay side in Marsaxlokk, in order to preserve the village’s heritage of being Malta’s foremost fishing village.

Ghaqda Kooperattiva tas-Sajd president Carmelo Bugeja said the cooperative had negotiated under the name of the APEX Organisa-tion of Cooperatives within the Europêche, the association of national organisations of fishing enterprises in the EU, in order to obtain the facility. He pointed out that Maltese fishermen have been accustomed to one-star facilities and are now enjoying a five star facility. He said the next project down the line should be the construction of a breakwater as an extension to the one near Delimara Power station.

Mr Bugeja confirmed that discussions are underway on how to ease the financial burden for fishermen. He said the cooperative did not want to create difficulties for the government by forcing it to introduce a subsidy system that would be in conflict with EU regulations.

Former Fisheries Director Anthony Gruppetta said the charges have already been heavily discounted.

The pricing system was comprised of a fee for each hoist: Lm150 (EUR349.40) for a hoist with the 250-ton crane and Lm75 (EUR175) for a hoist with the 50-ton crane. Dr Gruppetta said the fee was now being charged for two hoists, from sea and back.

The other charges are divided into three categories. Vessels over 18 metres are charged Lm125 (EUR291) for the first 15 days on land and Lm20 (EUR 46.50) for each additional day; vessels measuring 12 to 18 metres are charged Lm75 (EUR 175) for the first 15 days on land and Lm12 (EUR28) for each additional day, while vessels under 12 metres long are charged Lm45 (EUR104.8) for the first 15 days and Lm7 (16.3) for each additional day. Dr Gruppetta said these charges, which are inclusive of VAT, have been cut by 30 per cent, and the VAT paid is refunded.

The facility, said Dr Gruppetta, can be used by the 200 Maltese-registered fishing vessels, as well as EU-registered fishing vessels.