Connectivity by road and sea, driving a thriving post-pandemic economy

ROBERT CASSAR, CEO – EUROBRIDGE SHIPPING SERVICES LTD

There’s an unproven aphorism here in Malta that if we, for whatever reason stop importing goods, we would only have three days of food to sustain the population. I’m sure no one is willing to test the truth of this statement. But in whatever level, it does hold an important truth in itself; the importance of our connectivity to the two continents that huddle us out from our shores. This is especially so for the continent of Europe which Malta has been building cultural, political, and economic ties since the dawn of time; though the potential of untapping further connections with the African continent is still an opportunity for the taking.

Our location puts an age-old challenge faced by Phoenicians trading in tyrian purple, by Romans in honey, Knights Hospitallers in buccaneering, and the British in ‘ruling the waves’ onto our 21st century shores; the connectivity of our small islands to the big continents across the sea.

BY ROAD Road connectivity is important for Malta because it allows for the movement of goods and people within our Islands and with other countries. A large volume of goods get to Malta by a mix of road and sea transportation from across Europe. These connections are critical for us to be able to continue enjoying the commodities of our modern living. Wine from Bordeaux, blue-grey marble from Carrara, cars from Stuttgart to textiles from Barcelona all make their way via this elaborate road and sea network. Continental Europe definitely continues to remain very attractive to anyone in Malta looking for suppliers, due to being a location which gives short turnaround times and more reliability and stability, even during these recent ‘unstable’ years; for sure more so than other more far-off destinations. These advantages are there too for those exporting from Malta. Brexit also had many in Malta consider looking for suppliers on continental Europe as more look for possibilities to try and source their materials and goods from the EU Market Zone.

BY SEA Malta’s seas have hosted Ulysses to Saint Paul, Count Roger to Dragut, Napoleon to Nelson, Bush to Gorbachev; yes, our shores have seen their share of distinguished names pass by.

And the people passing by have increased through the years. And here the numbers talk for themselves as sea connectivity plays a crucial role in supporting, among other sectors, Malta’s tourism industry. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), during the first three quarters of 2022, the Maltese Islands were visited by 386,018 cruise passengers of which 59.5 per cent were from the EU.

Travel is also considerable between the two main islands. The NSO also reports that nearly 4.3 million passengers travelled between Malta and Gozo during the first three quarters of 2022; nearly the same amount for the whole of 2021.

On the other side of the Islands, and covering transportation of goods, at the Malta Freeport in 2021, 2.97 million Twenty Foot Equivalent containers passed through our shores.

Undoubtedly these numbers show that after a century of air travel, after over 25 years of internet, and other modes of connectivity, sea transport is still a major aspect of our lives and a key contributor to our economy. One can argue that these other modes of connectivity only increased and complemented sea connectivity through eCommerce, dropshipping, as well as online marketplaces for lodgings, hotels and cruise bookings.

BY ROAD & BY SEA Freight Forwarders like us at EuroBridge, strive to build a service based on the ‘best of both worlds’ that of road and sea. Though we assist business customers import and export to and from most of the world, and through other modes such as air freight, it’s clear that, for reasons here above already discussed, most still prefer to import from countries in Europe by road and sea. With our fleet of trailers we assist businesses to import goods which are driven from anywhere in Europe to the main ports in South Europe, principally through the largest Italian port, that of Genoa.

The COVID19 pandemic did affect us all, and we are in for new challenges too. However, road and sea connectivity remain an essential part of Malta’s economic development and play a vital role in maintaining strong ties with other countries in the region. The Island’s strategic location, and strong maritime tradition continue to make it an attractive destination for companies looking to do business in the region. This is especially so as we continue looking forward to a 2023 which will assist us to put the difficulties faced in the pandemic years behind us. n