New ferry to be located at Ta’ Xbiex

Infrastructure Malta has presented plans for a mooring facility and shelter over 1,700 sq.m of seabed immediately next to the Mamma Mia restaurant.

The project will involve the excavation of seabed to accommodate the new facilities – a ticketing booth, benches for 100 to 110 people waiting to be boarded, public toilets and area for the priority boarding for disabled people.

Three new ferry terminals with sheltered waiting, landing and boarding areas were first proposed in the 2020 Budget at Ta’ Xbiex, Spinola and Bugibba, which were to complement existing landings in Sliema, Valletta and Cottonera, which are also being upgraded. No planning applications have so far been presented for the construction of ferry landings in Spinola and Bugibba.

In July, Transport Malta issued a request for proposals for the introduction of a ferry service in Malta and Gozo. The 15-year concession was to see Transport Malta provide berthing facilities to the chosen operator over which they would be granted exclusive or priority berthing rights. The tender referred to landing areas in Marsaxlokk, Ta’ Xbiex, St Paul’s Bay, St Julian’s, Valletta and Gozo.

Those bidding for the tender were required to have a minimum of five consecutive years’ experience operating various types of scheduled passenger ferries of various capacities.

The government recently announced that multiple ferry services linking different locations in Malta and Gozo are more favourable than an isolated fast ferry link. Questions were raised over the similarity of government’s new proposal and a recently launched hop-on hop-off service offered by the Fortina Group between different locations, including Sliema, Buġibba, Comino and Gozo. Transport Malta has insisted that the service will be “different and distinct” from other touristic services offered by other Maltese operators across Malta.