The decision to extend the Malta Freeport was testament to the foresight of its management, according to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Dr Gonzi paid a visit to ongoing works to extend the Terminal 1 quay this afternoon, but not before stopping at the Freeport’s canteen, where a sizeable number of workers was waiting for his arrival.

The prime minister was met with loud cheering – at one point, one worker told him that he would not be jeered at the Freeport, in an apparent reference to MCAST students. But not everyone welcomed his arrival: someone had scratched the Labour Party’s slogan “Malta taghna lkoll” and “shame on you” on the canteen’s exterior wall.

At the canteen, Dr Gonzi spent around 15 minutes engaged in small talk with a handful of Freeport workers, with conversation mainly focusing on their work and on football.

He was told that the Freeport has managed to grow over the past years even as its competitors – including the port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy – reduced their workforce in the wake of the 2008-2009 economic crisis. The Freeport currently employs around 1,400 people.

Later on, he was somewhat less willing to speak to journalists, answering one question on allegations that Finance Minister Tonio Fenech received a gift from George Farrugia.

The Freeport exploits Malta’s strategic location to focus on transhipment – over 95% of its container traffic involves large freighters unloading cargo which is relayed to regional ports by smaller vessels. But in its present state, it is not able to accommodate even larger cargo ships which are currently being built, prompting the Freeport to seek an extension.

The extension has proven controversial: it brings the Freeport closer to residential areas in Birzebbuga, and the town’s local council had opposed the project. But this issue was not touched upon by Dr Gonzi or by Freeport chairman Mark Portelli during the visit.

Dr Gonzi said that plans to prepare for vessels which are still under construction showed the foresight of the Freeport’s management.

The Freeport had been privatised in 2004: it is now run by Malta Freeport Terminals Ltd, a subsidiary of French container shipping group CMA-CGM.

The prime minister noted that the company has invested over €145 million in the past five years, and would be investing a further €31 million this year, noting that this also showed the company’s confidence in the government.