The quaint dghajsa tal-pass, the historic timber boat which ferried people to and from ships in Grand Harbour, is in danger of extinction, according to the Boatmen’s Cooperative.

Alfred Abela and Walter Ahar, respectively president and secretary of the cooperative, yesterday accused the Malta Maritime Authority of sounding the death knell for them by issuing permits for fibreglass boats of their type to be used in Grand Harbour together with the traditionally built craft.

This was a massive blow, the two said, as the fibreglass craft posed a real threat to the traditional boats.

Dghajjes tal-pass have been in use for ages. The barklori used to ferry sailors and sea passengers to and from ships from different epochs, from the Knights’ galleys to the British destroyers as well as migrants-to-be, when many ships did not berth against quays. The working day for the barklori stretched from 7am to 4am the following day.

However, since the Royal Navy left the islands in 1979, the 3,000 boats then in service have fizzled down to just 30, with another 100 being stowed away in garages.

The advent of fibreglass dghajjes tal-pass would surely kill off the remaining wooden boats, said Mr Ahar.

A wooden boat, which can be as old as 130 years, needs to be constantly looked after. He argued that total maintenance costs could reach up to Lm1,000 to Lm1,200 (EUR2,329 to EUR2,795) a year.

Mr Ahar explained that each rib of his 60-year-old boat cost around Lm16 (EUR37) to make, and it has 66 of them, while his son has renovated a boat at a cost of Lm2,000 (EUR4,658). Boatmen also have to dish out Lm30 (EUR70) for an MMA licence, Lm10 (EUR23) on surveying and Lm61 (EUR142) for an insurance cover each year. They are required also to pay the Malta Tourism Authority Lm25 (EUR58) per year; however, they refuse to pay it in protest.

Mr Abela complained that boatmen are ignored by the authorities and do not have the necessary facilities to function properly. There are only three proper embarkation points at Grand Harbour, one in Vittoriosa, one in Senglea and another one at the Customs House in Valletta. He recalled the time when the cooperative met Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and was promised help, but all that the boatmen got was a repainted embarkation point in Vittoriosa.

“The lack of such points,” said Mr Abela, “means great congestion and discomfort for passengers on busy days.” Mr Ahar described how boatmen cannot drop off their passengers right where they want to get off. “Once we had 50 passengers who wanted to go the Casinò di Venezia,” he said, “but the embarkation point is just outside the Vittoriosa waterfront. Nonetheless, we dropped them off in front of the casino, albeit without permission.” The same holds at the Valletta Waterfront, as boatmen cannot drop off their passengers within the lagoon, thus ferrying passengers right at the doorstep of the area’s main attractions.

The two boatmen hold that embarkation points should be enlarged both at the Valletta and Vittoriosa waterfronts. “This will improve business for us and for the waterfront operators themselves,” they stated.

The Boatmen’s Cooperative is proposing to operate a ferry service at the cruise liners terminal at a charge of 25c (EUR 0.58) per passenger. It is also proposing to train youngsters in the trade, instead of MMA officials. “How can an engineer who is specialised on large boats, even ships, train people to man the dghajjes? We have the experience and we are willing to train a new generation of boatmen to carry on our trade, thus making sure that it does not die out,” said Mr Ahar. He is of the opinion that young men who lack schooling can still earn a living out of this trade, which he holds can be revived and contribute to the tourism industry.

Mr Abela said karozzini are helped by the government in a number of aspects, but boatmen are not helped in any way. “Both are Maltese heritage, and we should all receive some sort of help,” he said.

Mr Ahar pointed out that many tourists commented that it was a pity that Grand Harbour, so rich in history, had such a small number of dghajjes tal-pass to service it. These boats, said Mr Ahar, added a Maltese touch to the surroundings and were picturesque in their own right. But they have been sidelined to an extent that now they risk extinction.