T-21 December Edition 2022

PUBLISHER

Transport Malta

EDITOR

Peter Paul Barbara

PHOTOGRAPHY

Peter Paul Barbara

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY Anna Damianou Peter Paul Barbara

COVER PHOTO 2023 - Special feature. The road towards clean ports. Photo: Peter Paul Barbara / Anna Monika Damianou

In collaboration with the TM Marketing Department Transport Malta Centre Triq Pantar, Lija, LJA 2021, Malta info@transport.gov.mt www.transport.gov.mt

COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved. Copyright of all the images used in this publication remains the right of the photographer.

DISCLAIMER

The contents of the articles in this publication is the responsibility of the respective author and it does not necessary mean that the views expressed therein are the same or reflect those of Transport Malta.

Note from the Editor 2

Time for Consolidation and Reform 5

Looking at 2023 with Optimism 11

In the News 16

Towards an Improved Transport System 22

Special Feature 30 Freeport’s Future is Green 44

Warriors of the Sea… Malta’s Tugs 50

Gozo Channel remains the main life-link between Malta and Gozo 78

The National Household Travel Survey Published 90 The Other side of the National Household Travel Survey 96 Government Introduces Free Public Transport for All 103 Get Malta Moving 113 Getting ready for C-ITS 117

A New Driving Licence Renewal Platform 125

Another footbridge inaugurated 129

Malta’s aircraft registry to exceed 800 aircraft by 2023 135

Wizz Air Malta begins Operations 139

Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings Europe transfers its registration to Malta 142

Transport Malta contributes towards the 43rd Edition of Rolex Middle Sea Race - 2022 144

Note from the Editor

Welcome to the December Edition of T-21.

In the third edition of this year, we are including several interesting articles related to the promotion of sustainable mobility and clean transport as well as clean transport infrastructure.

In this edition we continue to offer our readers with insight on another important service provider when it comes to maritime transport and operations in our ports, that is vessel towing services, which as can be seen from the article have a long-standing tradition in our ports, as expected, with Malta having been a maritime service provider ever since time immemorial.

As usual, in this edition of T-21 we are also publishing an article provided by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Dr. Aaron Farrugia, who writes about the current state of the Malta Metro proposed project and additional studies currently being undertaken, as well as public transport in general.

Without much pomp, this year is the 10th anniversary since the introduction of the inter-harbour ferry service, so it was only natural that we dedicate an

article to this service as well as take a look at the progress being registered in the new ferry landing sites which are being built to complement it and which will hopefully be delivered next year.

Another important project we are looking at is the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project, which started being implemented by Infrastructure Malta back in 2020 and is currently on time to be completed as scheduled. Through this project, which is being co-financed by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility, 17,000 families living in the Grand Harbour area will benefit from improved air quality levels.

We will also look at the latest statistics published by the NSO when it comes to the Gozo-Malta channel crossings for the third quarter of this year, also outlining historical milestones of the service along the years.

C-ITS is the latest development when it comes to the development and roll out of ITS – Intelligent Transport Systems, and on this topic we have an article penned by Kenneth Spiteri.

An interesting feature is also published on the launch of the free transport initiative by the Government, making it the second free public transport service in Europe after Luxembourg.

Finally, we will also take a look at the latest news and developments from the aviation sector thanks to the work being done by the Civil Aviation Directorate within Transport Malta.

The publication can be downloaded from the following link: https://www.transport.gov.mt/transport-malta/t-21publication-4496

Time for Consolidation and Reform

Brigadier Jeffry Curmi Chief Executive Officer – Transport Malta

Over the last few weeks, Transport Malta was put under the media’s spotlight, on several occasions almost every week. Some of these occasions highlighted important achievements that were accomplished, such as those registered by our Civil Aviation Directorate as well as the Maritime and Shipping Directorate. Other events that hit the news, however, were not as compelling, to say the least.

Notwithstanding this, however, I feel it is important that events such as the latter are mentioned and acknowledged just the same, even if they do not make us proud. Referring to and writing only about our achievements is not enough if we want to be true to ourselves and move forward.

The time that has passed since the challenge to take Transport Malta forward was bestowed upon me is too short to have taken the necessary steps and put in place the necessary changes required to address current issues and shortcomings which have developed throughout the years. This is not an excuse in any shape or form, nor a justification for what has been done or not so far.

In November of last year, Government had publicly announced that a task force was being set up to come up with recommendations on the possibility of dismantling the Authority into a number of separate authorities, similar to how the situation was prior to the setup of Transport Malta in the first place, 11 years ago.

Before Transport Malta, the country had three separate transport related authorities; the Malta Maritime Authority (MMA), the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) and the Authority for Land Transport (ADT), which within it included the Roads Department, later to shoot out as the separate agency Infrastructure Malta. Back then, it was a big

task and months of logistical and legal planning to bring these three institutions together under one umbrella shaping what Transport Malta is today.

Disentangling the Authority back to its former routes, that is, into separate authorities, proved to be a mammoth task to say the least, especially when considering a number of issues, such as human resources, logistics and the financial side, especially from the current financial system in place, not to forget the capital needed to set up the respective authorities from scratch.

In view of this, however, we are looking at a general reform of the Authority, consolidating what is working and continuing to reap the positive results we are getting, while carrying out the necessary reforms and changes which are much needed to address any shortcomings currently in place. We will make sure that the Authority is streamlined to carry out its regulatory functions as intended, while in the meantime continuing to assist Government with suggested policy proposals which are of a technical nature, as already outlined in the current legislation. We will also strive to continue with the work being done with regard to both our maritime and aviation registries, which are both going to new heights with the work being carried out by the two respective directorates: the Merchant Shipping Directorate and the Civil Aviation Directorate.

As I mentioned in my contribution in the last edition of T-21, we are also looking at a number of basic centralised structures and services which will eventually be put in place, such as basic legal services, an internal audit structure, a centralised procurement system, as well as a financial system which suits a reformed authority and its respective directorates.

We are also looking at plans on how to streamline and reorganise our Enforcement Directorate, which is the main arm of the Authority to enforce the regulatory aspect of transport legislation. We are also going through plans to reorganise the Land Transport Directorate.

After a long process through which we rolled out free public transport for all Tallinja Card holders, as the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects already made public in Parliament last November, we are currently also undertaking another study to establish the financial feasibility of the proposed Malta Metro project launched by the Government in November of last year.

This is not an easy task and such reform will not be carried by taking shortcuts, but by taking the necessary time to make sure that the Authority is put on solid foundations to face challenges in the coming years.

Looking at 2023 with Optimism

Kevin Farrugia Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer Transport Malta

At this moment in time, Transport Malta is undergoing a silent metamorphosis, one which has long been needed and required. Past events have shown us the importance and the need to carry out the changes required to take the Authority forward, and our aim is to conclude such a process throughout the next year.

Throughout this year, we have witnessed a number of road accidents which were higher than usual, a situation which must be addressed as soon as possible. This will be carried out by a review and update of our transport regulations and legislation currently in place, and bring it in line with the needs of the present. Undoubtedly, our legislation and regulations need to be more effective, and in some ways act as a deterrent for road users to abide by, while in parallel putting in place the necessary safety measures to bring down the number of accidents and ensure not only more discipline on our roads, but also respect for one another.

Despite the efforts carried out by the Authority over the last few years to step up its presence on our roads, it is clearly evident that the Authority on its own and safer infrastructure are not enough, and apart from the fact that we are looking at ways in

which not only to continue with this strategy but to step it up further, it is evident that such efforts need to be accompanied by changes in the regulations to make them more effective in our quest to keep road safety as one of our priorities.

At the moment we are also looking at how we will reform our Enforcement Directorate, a process which was started this summer and which will continue until we come up with the right balance required to make it more effective, including its organisational setup, additional units, an internal control structure and, finally, additional assets to make our enforcement more effective.

As usual, during this time of year, we will also step up our promotion towards road safety, and the negative consequences that driving under the influence can

bring to oneself, family and close friends, as well as to third parties.

To assist in this effort, over the last few months we stepped up our efforts both in Malta and in Gozo to carry out inspections on vehicles while making sure that drivers have the necessary documents in place, including driving licences and insurance policies, apart from roadside emission inspection tests, which were also carried out throughout the day to make sure that we did our part towards cleaner air.

Speaking of clean air, next year will also mark a milestone in providing clean air to residents living in the inner harbour area, once commissioning of the first phase of the Shore to Ship technology is carried out by Infrastructure Malta to Transport Malta through the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project. The

technology being put in place will enable berthing vessels in the port to switch off their engines and take their power from the national electricity grid. This was the second major development in the Grand Harbour area since the dismantling of the exMarsa Power Station.

These initiatives also follow the promotion of electromobility that Transport Malta has been carrying out since 2014, with pilot projects, implementing solar led EV charging projects, and above all promoting and managing Government grants to further promote the uptake of electric vehicles and pedelecs, amongst others.

In the News

JULY Digitalisation of Malta Ship Register Operations

The Merchant Shipping Directorate is launching a Preliminary Market Consultation in view of an ongoing project to digitalise the operations of the Malta Ship Register. Interested parties are invited to attend an information meeting to be held on 27/07/2022. Any feedback provided by participants during or after the meeting, shall feed into the eventual procurement of a Vessel Management System; a digital platform which will expand the functions currently offered by the electronic register of ships as adopted by the Malta Flag Administration. Relevant Information may be obtained by looking up PMC002/2022 on the Government Procurement Portal.

AUGUST

First edition of Malta Maritime Awards

The first Malta Maritime Awards to be held during the Malta Maritime Summit will be held in Malta next October. The Maritime Awards will serve as a platform to recognise the hard work and dedication of those individuals and companies that have contributed to the establishment of Malta as a centre of maritime excellence.

Skolasajf second session in Fgura

The Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department of Transport Malta, together with the Enforcement Department, Land and Maritime Directorates, are currently organising four half day interactive hands-on workshops with FES SkolaSajf Centres. The second session has been held at Fgura Primary School, where a team from Transport Malta had the opportunity to deliver talks and interact with students of all ages attending the centre on different means of sustainable transport. The main topics covered were Electromobility, Walking and Cycling, Enforcement and Maritime Transport.

KTAIP Project Underway

Transport Malta is currently working in a joint effort with Infrastructure Malta coordinating the transportation of the steel beams to be used for the KTAIP project from Birżebbuġa to Vjal L-Avjazzjoni. Transport Malta is providing assistance in escorting this heavy cargo safely to its location and coordinating road diversions with the help of the enforcement team.

Monaco Yacht Show 2022

The Malta Ship Registry within Transport Malta will once again be representing our country during the Monaco Yacht Show, which will be organised between 28th September and 1st October. Therefore, we are drawing the attention of those interested in attending, that like previous years we have a limited number of ‘Daily Passes’ which will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis. We encourage you to send your requests for these tickets to mershipmalta.tm@transport.gov.mt.

Mobility Ambassadors Programme

Originally an offshoot of Innocap Project, the Transport Mobility Ambassador Programme run by the Sustainable Mobility Team within the Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department of Transport Malta, seeks to promote role model students who are ambitious about encouraging the uptake and use of cleaner and alternative modes of transportation. Participants will be invited to monthly discussions at Transport Malta and welcomed to join during the various activities organised by the Authority.

Amerigo Vespucci arrives in Malta

The Grand Harbour went back in time today as the Italian Navy vessel Amerigo Vespucci sailed into the Maltese port. Nicknamed ‘the most beautiful vessel in the world’, it will be in Malta for the next two days. Transport Malta remains committed to organise such port calls and keep building on the good reputation of our maritime industry.

MCAST Teen Summer Camp Sustainable Mobility Talk

Ms Laura Sue Mallia from within the Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department of Transport Malta, was invited to join the MCAST Teen Summer Camp to provide a talk on Sustainable and Alternative Mobility and present a Mobility Challenge which students will now be working on over the next two days. The Challenge, from part of the Young Innovators Programme being put forward in conjunction with Climate-KIC, invites all participants to think outside the box and propose more climate friendly options and solutions to our transport system.

Skolasajf third session in Pembroke

The Risk Management, Policy, and EU Affairs Department of Transport Malta, together with the Enforcement Department, Land and Maritime Directorates, are currently organising four half day interactive hands-on workshops with FES SkolaSajf Centres. The third session was held at the Pembroke Skolasajf centre, where once again a team from Transport Malta had the opportunity to deliver talks and interact with the students attending the centre on different means of sustainable transport, such as Walking and Cycling, Electromobility, Public Transport, Maritime Transport and Enforcement at sea. Two lucky students once again went home with a brand new bicycle and helmet, after they had taken part in a Mobility Challenge.

MG2I MCAST Teens Summer Camp complete Sustainable Mobility Challenge

Ms Laura Sue Mallia, Director Risk Management, Policy, and EU Affairs, presented a Transport Mobility Challenge to students attending the MG2I MCAST Teens Summer Camp organised for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16. The students were given an overview of the various initiatives which Transport Malta is presently working on in relation to sustainable and alternative mobility, and were provided with tools in order to develop a sustainable urban mobility solution for residents of a fictitious town. The winners of this challenge were Krista Dingli, Sam Dingli, Gianni Tabone, Gabriel Pace, Hugo Dreyfuss and Noah Dreyfuss. The Authority also congratulates all participants for their efforts and stimulating insights.

Removal of Illegal Billboards

A joint operation was conducted between Transport Malta and the Planning Authority to remove a number of billboards that were placed on our streets without any relevant permits issued from the aforementioned Authorities. During yesterday’s operation, a number of billboards were removed in some localities. In the coming time, more billboards without the relevant permits will be removed.

Logos Hope leaves Malta

Logos Hope – the biggest book fair at sea – sailed out of the Grand Harbour. During its stay in Malta, many Maltese book lovers and tourists visited this ship. Until we meet again.

Skolasajf Sessions come to an end

The last session at Attard Skolasajf centre marks the end of our 2021-2022 Sustainable Mobility Educational Programme. Once again, a team from Transport Malta had the opportunity to deliver talks and interact with students between the ages of 3 and 16 years. The topics covered during these sessions were Electromobility, Walking and Cycling, Enforcement at sea and on land, Public Transport, a

National Pollution Response Exercise

Transport Malta organised a National Pollution Response exercise on 6th and 7th September 2022. This exercise was organised in collaboration with the European Maritime Safety Agency and other local Government and Private stakeholders. It provided a great opportunity to test procedures, train together and test new equipment provided by EMSA.

Seafarer’s Centre

Transport Malta has renewed its support to the Seafarer’s Centre situated at Ta’ Liesse, Valletta, to contribute towards the day-to-day running of the Centre. The Centre offers social support and accommodation to seafarers who find themselves in difficulty when in Maltese ports and waters. This shows the social responsibility of TM as the regulator of maritime affairs in Malta.

Trilvee test in Pjazza Tritoni

The first driverless car was tested in Pjazza Tritoni in Malta. The driver was physically driving this vehicle from the United Kingdom.

IBIA Conference

The pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine have brought with them several challenges in our lives. These issues are also affecting the bunkering industry. During the past few days, the International Bunker Industry Association held a conference where it brought together all the stakeholders in this sector in order to find a direction for the future.

En Route to Change

En route to change is setting into motion discussions, sharing of knowledge and having industry be part of the solution. Preparing for 2030 targets, such as having 65,000 EVs in Malta and Gozo, requires us all to discuss end of life usage or reusage/recycling of batteries for electric cars.

Aviation Cosmetics Malta Ltd. Visit

Transport Malta CEO Brig. Jeffrey Curmi and DG Civil Aviation Captain Charles Pace visited Aviation Cosmetics Malta Ltd. This company was established in Eindhoven in 1994. The company relocated end expanded its operations in Malta, where it employs 60 people. The company has good working relations with other stakeholders forming part of the Malta Aviation cluster and has plans to expand their operations in the future.

Grant Schemes for Local Councils

Transport Malta is launching a Grant Scheme targeting all local councils in Malta and Gozo and NGOs. Through this initiative, funds will be granted for the implementation of projects related to sustainable mobility in their locality with the aim of increasing measures which improve walkability and facilities which increase the uptake of cycling. The main impact is expected to be the reduction of emissions and a better quality of life for the residents. A budget of €200,000 is being allocated for this Scheme and maximum grant of €20,000 will be provided to each successful applicant.

Free Tow Truck Service

This service will be available from Monday to Friday from 06:00 to 09:30 and from 15:30 to 18:30 during the school year. To make use of this service you should call freephone 80073399. An Enforcement Officer from Transport Malta will be sent to your location to direct traffic in the area and help move your vehicle to the nearest safe place, so that it is not an inconvenience to the traffic that is passing by.

OCTOBER

Wizz Air Malta starting operations

Following the confirmation of its AOC and OL from the EASA and CAD, Wizz Air Malta will start its operations in Malta with Malta-registered aircraft. Hon. Aaron Farrugia, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Transport Malta CEO Brig. Jeffrey Curmi, and DG for Civil Aviation Capt. Charles Pace have attended this event which serves as a testament to the versatility and professionality to Malta’s Civil Aviation jurisdiction.

Examiners attend ASC Training Sessions

Driving Examiners from the Driving Testing and Training Unit within Transport Malta’s Land Transport Directorate have just attended the second training course given by ASC (Automotive Safety Centre) Quattroruote. This training was carried out with the aim of further raising the level in driving license tests in various categories. ASC specialises in road safety and driving instruction. They also do this in collaboration with various universities and entities. The first part of the training took place earlier in April this year. This course was held in collaboration with the Malta Road Safety Council.

Flexjet registers aircraft in Malta

The premium private jet operator Flexjet has registered its first Gulfstream G650 in Europe, with a second of the ultra-long-range jets set to join the fleet within the next six months. As time goes by, more companies are choosing to register their aircraft under the Maltese jurisdiction, thanks to the reputation, sustainability, efficiency and innovation it provides.

New REMPEC offices in Sa Maison inaugurated

The new offices for the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) were inaugurated yesterday in Sa Maison. This international organisation forms part of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Our country will continue to host this organisation in the coming years and strengthen its resolve on the

importance of our sea in many economic activities which are crucial for our country’s economy.

Malta Aviation Conference & EXPO

Transport Malta’s CEO Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi attended the Malta Aviation Conference & EXPO (MACE). MACE is an international conference that deals with the aviation sector that takes place in Malta every year and it attracts a number of delegates from all over the world. Curmi stated that the Authority’s vision is to continue attracting more companies to Malta - through investment in our people and in new technology while ensuring the sustainability of this industry.

Malta Maritime Summit 2022

The Malta Maritime Summit was held, gathering together international ministers and officials to discuss challenges and opportunities that the industry is facing, and to discuss a way forward towards a more sustainable and resilient maritime sector.

Reputation and the Maltese Aviation Jurisdiction

The Maltese aviation jurisdiction continues to build on its good reputation. Over a period of a couple of weeks , three major companies in the sector - Wizzair, Flexjet and Eurowings - have joined the Maltese 9H registry, and it is predicted that this registry will amount to 800 aircraft by 2023. Soaring to Higher Altitudes.

Sustainable Mobility and students’ role

The Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department within Transport Malta is currently visiting primary, secondary and post-secondary schools in an initiative to reach out to students and discuss sustainable mobility with them. On 18th and 19th October, two members of the sustainable mobility team visited St. Francis School in Cospicua and held sessions with all students where the importance of sustainable mobility was explained in and interactive way, and then discussed their role in making their transport more sustainable and how to share this message with their families.

NOVEMBER

Norwegian Epic visits Malta

A few days ago, the cruise liner Norwegian Epic visited Malta’s Grand Harbour. Our country continues to be a destination of excellence in the maritime sector and continues to attract these types of vessels.

MV AIDAcosma maiden call to Malta

The MV AIDAcosma on her maiden call to the port of Valletta. She is the longest cruise ship to call in Malta and the world’s first cruise ship to be operated with low-emission liquefied natural gas. MV AIDAcosma also has a shore power connection, which almost reduces her emissions to zero in suitably equipped ports. The port of Valletta will be such a port as of 2023.

Aeromedical Scientific Meeting

This one-day conference, which was held on 21st October, was attended by over 45 aeromedical examiners (AMEs), doctors and aviation professionals from over 8 different countries. The conference addressed various elements related to the physiological, mental and emotional wellbeing of air crew in a post-COVID reality. Highlights of the conference included the diagnosis of drug abuse and rehabilitation, psychiatric and psychological effects of COVID on air crew, respiratory effects post-COVID, accident investigation, medical emergencies in an aircraft cabin, and disorientation and the human factor.

Green Travel School Plan

The Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department within Transport Malta, in collaboration with Nature Trust (Eko-Skola) and HSBC Malta Foundation, launched the 2nd Edition of the Green Travel School Plan for this scholastic year. Ms Cynthia Caruana, Project Coordinator and EkoSkola Teacher, introduced this year’s initiative and urged students together with their teachers to explore new ways and ideas to plan an effective Green Travel School Plan for their school. Ms Ritianne Buhagiar,

Manager Sustainable Mobility at Transport Malta, closed the event with a note on the importance and positive impacts of Green Travel Plans both for the environment and our health. Transport Malta congratulated all schools who are embarking on this journey and presented them with a small token sponsored by Transport Malta.

Challenge Air Group

Challenge Air Group, who recently received the Air Operator Certificate from Transport Malta, provided a flight as well as the logistical support to transport ‘Flemish Tapestries’ to return to Malta from Liège Belgium. These will now be exhibited in St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

Accident assistance during bad weather

During the past hours, a number of accidents occured due to bad weather. TM Enforcement Officers were present to assist drivers. Transport Malta would like to advise drivers to drive cautiously and be aware of any obstacles on the roads.

DECEMBER

Enforcement Officials Training Seminars

Transport Malta held more training seminars for our Enforcement Officers. These seminars are organised to ensure that our Enforcement Officers offer the best possible service to commuters while on duty.

Sustainable and Alternative Mobility Booklets

Two informative booklets which have been prepared by the Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department within Transport Malta were launched on Wednesday 30th November at Blata l-Bajda Middle School and Santa Venera Primary. The booklets, which are being distributed to all students in Year 4 and Year 7 in Government, Church and Private Schools, include information and activities related to sustainable and alternative mobility. The event was also addressed by the Director General of Education.

Student Mobilithon Challenges

The Risk Management, Policy and EU Affairs Department, together with the Ports and Yachting Directorate within Transport Malta, in collaboration with the EIT Urban Mobility RIS Hub and MCAST, organised a Mobilithon for students, members of staff and the general public. This consisted of a challenge-based learning exercise where the participants were invited to present ideas and potential solutions for current mobility challenges. This event marks the culmination of a year of collaborative events with EIT to promote the use of sustainable and alternative mobility. Transport Malta takes this opportunity to congratulate the winning team Nautilinks.

Towards an Improved Transport System

Hon Dr Aaron Farrugia Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects

In the last edition of this publication, I wrote about the challenges of traffic congestion, climate change, air quality and the need to make transport cleaner.

During the national budget debate which took place last October, I made public that the Government, through Transport Malta, is carrying out another study to determine the long-term feasibility of the proposed light-rail metro system, and how such a proposed network might be financed.

This study is one way that we are continuing to explore different modes of public transportation.

To put everything into context, the current traffic congestion issue is not a problem that surfaced ten years ago, it was long coming. However, we addressed the issue of public transport with a new public transport operator, introduced a number of policies to promote sustainable mobility, began the largest-ever capital expenditure on our road network, introduced a number of new cycle lanes, and introduced footbridges to improve safety and promote walking, putting in place new stations to promote the inter harbour ferry service and put in place grants to promote greener private modes of transport, especially electric vehicles.

Last October, we made public bus transport free for

whoever uses a Tallinja card, becoming the second country in the EU to offer free public transport. Although It is still too early to study the impact of this measure, our first indications show that bus passengers have increased by 15% since this measure was first introduced and when compared to bus usage over the previous month.

People in cars want fewer cars and less traffic –that’s the paradox of the moment which needs to be addressed.

On top of my agenda for 2023 is a review of public transport, chiefly to ensure that supply matches demand. We will do a full review of routes and frequency of buses, as well as integrate 25 new electric buses in the first half of 2023.

Also on the agenda is a comprehensive action plan for road safety: from strategy to policies, investigations to road infrastructure, and from enforcement to education.

Road traffic accidents kill too many people. We can no longer accept the unacceptable. We owe it to the

public, to our children to ensure that our roads are as safe as possible. A number of issues come into play that cause road incidents, and it is our job to make sure all of these are addressed. When I hear of fatalities and victims of road accidents — to me, these are not numbers, but persons, with families behind them. Every life matters, and the effects of leaving these issues unaddressed are catastrophic. Road safety is at the top of government’s agenda and that crucial action is necessary. For this reason, the ministry will be implementing a number of measures which together will make up a comprehensive action plan to maximise road safety and minimise road incidents that are currently on the rise.

We are also committed to continue to invest in improved transport infrastructure to enable modal shift and ensure a more effective and sustainable transport system.

Additionally, Transport Malta will be doubling down on the aviation and maritime sectors, two key growth sectors of the Maltese economy. In that regard, over the coming year, Malta will be seeing the addition of more airlines basing their operations on the island, consolidating success in the ship registry and

enhancing Malta’s presence within the area of super yachts and yachting on an international level.

What is certain is that we have managed to outperform our own projections, in many areas.

The truth is that the country wasn’t prepared for the economic growth which followed, and we are now expecting our economy to grow even further – up to nine times the average European rate. This economic success has brought about challenges we did not expect.

In the years to come, future governments may be forced to take unpopular measures to address the increasing levels of congestion. In the meantime, however, we will do our best not to get to such situations. This is doable if the right mix of transport services and other initiatives are implemented to address the needs, expectations, and aspirations of our ever-evolving society.

Special Feature

The Road Towards Clean Ports

Words: Peter Paul Barbara, Norbert Attard, Janice Borg

Back in 2014, as part of a Transport Malta led EU funded project - PORT-PVEV, Transport Malta had commissioned a fully fledged study on the feasibility of the possible introduction of Shore to Ship technology in our Grand Harbour.

Shore to Ship technology is commonly referred to as Cold Ironing. In short, it means that when a vessel is berthing in a given port, it switches off its auxiliary engines onboard, which are used for hospitality purposes and services, and instead takes its energy needs from the electricity grid of the hosting port. This brings the vessel down to zero harmful air pollution emissions in the air, thus considerably reducing air pollution in the area. It is a known fact that the areas surrounding the Grand Harbour have been subject to high levels of air pollution throughout the years, and this has left negative effects on the quality of life in the surrounding maritime towns and villages. This feasibility study was one of the main deliverables of the PORT- PVEV project.

This was a period when the EU Commission was engaging itself in the promotion of sustainable energy modes and infrastructure for different modes of Transport, especially through Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of alternative fuels Infrastructure. The technology at the time was still being tested out with a number of units in Scandinavian Ports and a number of others, such as the Port of Hamburg. In that time period, vessels were not equipped to take

on this technology, but some were retrofitted for the purpose of pilot projects and testing.

The study, which was commissioned after a competitive tender to E-Cubed Consultants and Cyan Engineering, consisted of an in-depth feasibility study, including the compilation of a baseline, a Cost Benefit Analysis, as well as an Options Analysis.

Since then, a lot has happened, especially in ship technology, and a number of international shipping companies have already started to retrofit the new technology on a number of vessels, while vessels being newly built are equipped with this technology.

Malta has always been a maritime nation, and has a historical dependence on the maritime sector, which historically was brought about by its deep natural harbours and good quality ports. This has served as an incentive to bolster the island to offer services based on its natural and maritime heritage, which would make it even more suited to offer a string of services aimed at international shipping companies, such as bunkering, provision of ship supplies and

towage services, ship and yacht repair yards, a state of the art transhipment port and oil terminals, a cruise liner hub and international yacht marinas, just to mention a few.

All of these important economic activities have generated and contributed towards economic growth, but they have also generated negative environmental costs, which at times also leave a considerable negative impact on the health of the population living in the environs of ports.

In addition, the technology will also drastically reduce noise pollution in our ports, thus it will significantly improve the quality of life of residents in the surrounding areas, especially at night.

Fast forward to 2020 and the Infrastructure Malta led Grand Harbour Clean Air Project (GHCAP) came into being, a €49.9 million environmental investment to develop the electrical infrastructure for cruise liners and cargo ships to switch off their gasoil or heavy-fuel-oil fired engines and plug in to shoreside electricity to energise their onboard systems whilst

they are berthed at port.

The project kicked off in November 2020. Asked about the timelines of the project, Infrastructure Malta’s target is that by Quarter 2 of 2023 shore connection boxes can be installed, except for Pinto 4 and 5, as work on the extension of the quay has started just now. These are targeted for completion by end 2023. A number of international companies are providing the respective technologies after competitive tenders were published, including Nidec for the supply of the transformers and frequency convertors, ABB for the supply of the switchgear and Cavotec for the mobile connection vessels.

T-21 has asked Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta’s project managers to give us their thoughts about this important technology-led project, which is set to improve the quality of life of residents living in the affected areas in the years to come.

Perspective

Norbert Attard Shore-Side Electricity (SSE) in the port of Valletta –A Transport Malta

Infrastructure Malta is currently engaged in Phase I on the use of Onshore Power Supply (OPS) technology within the Valletta Grand Harbour. Through EU co-financing, OPS will be installed on all the quays on the TEN-T network in the Grand Harbour. The infrastructure will provide OPS to Cruise Liners, Ro-Ro & Ro-Pax vessels. The Valletta Cruise Port Terminal is dedicated to cruise liners and provides all related services. The Valletta Gateway Terminal, on the other hand, is dedicated to cargo operations, including Ro-Ro & Ro-Pax vessels. Boiler Wharf will be entirely equipped with OPS, thus adding to the services currently being offered.

Through this investment, cruise liners and cargo vessels will be able to plug in to OPS whilst at berth, rather than using their auxiliary engines. By disengaging their auxiliary engines, vessels calling at the port of Valletta will emit 93% less nitrogen dioxide, 92.6% less particulate matter, and 99.6% less sulphur dioxide.

These pollutants are among the principal causes of respiratory illnesses, diseases, and other health related problems. The use of this technology will also reduce 39.6% of the cruise liners’ carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to climate change.

Utilisation of OPS is subject to ship to shore compatibility; however, the Cruise Liner Industry

is already in the process of adopting these new systems with some of the current fleet of cruise liners calling in Malta already equipped accordingly, which will allow for the use of the OPS with its direct advantages.

The project for OPS in the North part of the Grand Harbour is on schedule, and commissioning is estimated to commence in Q2 of 2023. The contract of Phase l amounted to an investment of €33.2 million and will be completed by 2025.

Malta is committed to further invest towards OPS by providing these facilities to additional quays within the Grand Harbour, which will form part of Phase II of the operation. These will predominantly provide OPS to the inner areas of the harbour, the South side of the Port as well as additional quays on the outer area. Essentially, this is an investment of €81 million. Phase II is expected to be completed by 2025.

By connecting to OPS, vessels will not be required to run their internal generators, which would normally provide the necessary power for the vessels’ onboard operations. With OPS being a silent system, noise pollution within the Grand Harbour will be considerably reduced in line with social responsibilities towards the reduction of emissions and noise.

Shore Ship Connection Box (Approx Position)

Culverts to be Constructed by Third Parties

Cables Supported on Steel Framework Cables in Existing Culvert Cables in Trench

Submarine Cable Crossing Cables in Proposed Culvert

Phase I

• Phase 1 commissioning Q2 2023

• Pinto 1 & 2 – vessels up to an LOA of 330m –16-20MVA

• Pinto 3 – vessels up to an LOA of 200m – 6 MVA

• Pinto 4 & 5 – vessels up to an LOA of 330m –16-20MVA

• Deep Water Quay 3 & 4 – vessels up to an LOA of 330m – 16-20MVA

• 4 Cavotec AMP shared alongside the quay

• Boiler wharf - vessels up to an LOA of 330m –16-20MVA

• 1 Cavotec AMP alongside the quays

Phase II

• Phase 2 includes the commissioning of Q4 in 2023

• Ras Ħanżir, Laboratory & Magazine wharf –HVSC RoRo – 11kV/6.6kV (6.5MVA), LVSC –1MVA– All LV 400V/440V/690V - 2 Ro-Ro mobile cable management unit

• Palumbo – HVSC cruise – 11kV/6.6kV : Dock 6 – (10MVA) – Parlatorio (5MVA) HVSC Container – 6.6kV : Dock 6 – (7.5MVA) – Parlatorio (5MVA), LVSC – 2000A: Dock 6 – Parlatorio with combined peak amperage of 2000°, 1 Ro-Ro mobile cable management unit, Cruise/ Vessels (special size for Dock 6), 1 mobile cable extension reel for Containers/Vessels.

• Lascaris LVSC – 345kVA : All LV: 400V/440V/690V, 1 Ro-Ro mobile cable management unit

• MMH LVSC - – 345kVA : 3no. All LV: 400V/440V/690V, 14 Mobile Frequency Converter Unit.

Furthermore, two quays within the Malta Freeport Terminal, namely North Quay Terminal 1 (NQT1) and North Quay Terminal 2 (NQT2) will both be provided with a bi-directional High Voltage Shore Connection (HVSC) system for use by container ships whilst at berth.

These two quays are intensely used, especially by the largest container vessels berthing in the Port. The HVSC systems will permit berthed container vessels to switch off ship-board generators producing electrical power and to import and/or export the necessary electrical power to or from the national grid. The power transfer shall be carried out in conformity to international and national standards for container ships. Each system should be able to deliver an aggregate total of 7.5MVA at 6.6kV at 60Hz to the berthed vessels. Likewise, each system should be able to handle an aggregate total power of 7.5MVA supplied by the berthed vessels to the national grid.

The SSE for the HVSC system shall be sourced from the national grid at the Enemalta Freeport Distribution Centre, at 33kV and at a frequency of 50Hz. Correspondingly, ship-to-shore power shall be

delivered to the national grid at the same point at the Enemalta Freeport Distribution Centre.

NQT1 shall have 3 fixed shore connection boxes, whilst a mobile cable management system, covering 200m of quay, shall be installed on NQT2. The construction of the first phase of the project is scheduled for the last quarter of this year. It is expected that the HVSC system will be operational by not later than 2025.

Shore-Side Electricity supply for the maritime ports on the TEN-T comprehensive network will be mandatory in 2030. Nonetheless, it must be noted that Malta will be ahead of the Commission’s deadline of 1st January 2030 to implement the technology, and will provide shore-side electricity supply as stipulated in the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation by 2025, 5 years ahead of schedule.

Janice Borg Infrastructure Malta: Looking over the Horizon… Cold Ironing the Valletta Grand Harbour. An environmental project earmarked to reduce pollution in the Grand Harbour area

Perit

The Grand Harbour, a Port known for its versatility throughout the ages, has stood witness to major historical events. The vast day to day activities happening over a small area undoubtedly affect the lives of a large portion of the population that lives or works within the immediate vicinity of the harbour. It has long been known that some of the port related activities leave negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of those persons who frequent the area and on the 17,000 families who live in the surrounding towns.

The Government has, in the last years, taken decisions to push forward projects with the aim to reduce emissions generated from large ships berthed in the harbour, and which will ultimately result in great environmental benefit to the population at large. The objective is for these vessels to switch off their auxiliary engines whilst berthed in the Grand Harbour and plug in to shoreside electricity to power their onboard systems. Being proactive also ensures that Malta is fully prepared for when the Fit for 55 Package becomes a legislation with the goal of coming into force in 2030.

Back in 2020, Infrastructure Malta embarked on a one of a kind project to cold iron five of the major quays in the Northern region of the Grand Harbour - mainly: Pinto 1/2, Pinto 3, Pinto 4/5, Deep Water Quay, and Boiler Wharf.

This project focuses on providing shore power to cruise liners, and will have the possibility of selectable outputs of 11kV or 6.6kV at 50 or 60 Hertz. The project is part financed through the

Connecting Europe Facility. Currently, the project is in its final stages, with targets to be ready towards the end of 2023.

Once ready, it will be handed over to Transport Malta for management and operation. This project is expected to reduce the emissions generated by vessels by more than 90%. That’s 1,400 tonnes less nitrogen oxide emissions in the Grand Harbour every year.

Of interest is the fact that apart from the large numbers of cables exceeding 22km in length that had to be laid both on land and subsea, this project also included the construction of two large frequency convertor stations - one at Deep Water Quay and the other one at Boiler Wharf, whereby the industrial shed at Boiler Wharf was also restored to enable it to house the necessary equipment. Such a restoration project of an industrial building is deemed to be one of the first of its kind on our islands.

At the time of writing this article, Infrastructure Malta has gone one step further and published another tender for the provision of shore supply connection for the Southern region of the Grand Harbour, namely Ras Ħanżir, Lab Wharf, Magazine Wharf, Dock 6, Parlatorio Wharf, and Malta Maritime Hub.

The envisioned investment will also focus on the provision of shore supply for containers, RoRos and general use vessels. There will be a mix of high voltage and low voltage points to cater for the industrial quays located on the Southern part of the harbour.

Freeport’s Future is Green

Shipping lines and ports around the world are being challenged to do their bit in the drive towards creating a more sustainable global economy. Never one to shy away from its environmental responsibilities, Malta Freeport Terminals is riding the green wave with a clear commitment to reducing air, noise and light pollution.

Air pollution around the facility has been reduced significantly thanks to ships calling at the Freeport either being powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) – which emit 25% less CO2 than fuel-powered systems, use 99% less sulphur dioxide and save 92% in nitrogen oxide emissions – as well as its compliance with the IMO 2020 regulation stipulating that the sulphur oxide level in conventional maritime fuel cannot be in excess of 0.5% (compared with the previous level of 3.5%). Furthermore, more and more vessels are now powered by LNG in conformity with the IMO strategic plan for 2050, which demands that gas emissions in the sea be reduced by 50%, while working to eventually eliminate them completely.

Thanks to a long-term €320 million strategic investment programme, Malta Freeport now regularly receives the world’s largest LNG-powered containerships operated by CMA CGM, with a staggering capacity of 23,000 TEU containers. Malta

Freeport is proud to be handling the 15,000 TEU LNG vessels which are calling at the Freeport twice weekly on the MEX1 Service on both the westbound and eastbound leg. The prestigious French Asia Line Service (FAL1), which connects North Europe to Asia is also calling regularly at the Freeport through the operation of CMA CGM’s nine LNG-powered containerships with a capacity of 23,000 TEUs.

These advancements have not happened by accident. The facility has, over recent years, acquired five new megamax quayside cranes with outstanding technological and environmental specifications which reduce consumption, noise and emissions, while at the same time improving efficiency.

Meanwhile, new Rubber-Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs) offer a safer working environment and are equipped with safety alarms that are considerably quieter than the conventional beeper alarms previously

in use. In fact, the Freeport has also retrofitted these quieter alarms on the existing fleet of RTGs, thereby substantially reducing noise from the facility. More advanced asphalting is also being laid at the Terminals, particularly in areas close to the village, reducing operational noise pollution.

Light pollution has also been reduced. Full cut-out light fittings have been installed at Terminal One – the terminal closest to the village of Birżebbuġa where the port is located – having a positive impact on glare, light spillage and sky glow, while lighting at Terminal Two has also been adjusted.

Malta Freeport has also devised a Waste Management Plan, aimed at controlling and regulating waste at the port facilities, which forms part of Malta Freeport Terminals’ Environmental Policy and follows the National Plan on waste management regulated by Malta’s Environment and Resource Authority (ERA). Under the plan, the facility is committed to recycling principles and aims to reduce as much as possible the amount of waste produced on the premises as well as reusing, recycling or recovering the waste generated prior to disposal into landfills.

Malta Freeport is also an enthusiastic participant in the annual European Week for Waste Reduction

(EWWR), which brings together thousands of awareness-raising actions about sustainable waste management from across Europe.

In fact, this year the facility won the Waste Reduction Award for Best Practice in Business at the ninth edition of the Malta Waste Reduction Awards, which recognised an initiative by the Freeport to encourage communities to come together to promote sustainable waste management. This programme culminated in a number of environmental initiatives in Birżebbuġa, focused on the theme of ‘Circular Communities’.

Regular discussions are also held regarding the implementation of the environment management system at the Freeport with the Environment Monitoring Committee, made up of Malta Freeport Terminals, Birżebbuġa Local Council, Birżebbuġa NGO BEAG, Malta Freeport Corporation, the local environmental authorities (ERA) and Transport Malta.

The surrounding environment continues to be a high priority. Malta Freeport has supported an initiative to acquire a new inflatable boom which can be used in the bay to effectively contain oil spills that may occur in rough seas. This boom, stationed at the Freeport, can be deployed within 14 minutes, providing pilots with a rapid response time in case of emergency.

This investment was made by Maritime Pilots Cooperative and complements the investment which the Freeport had undertaken to protect the bay from any contamination.

The shore-to-ship project, an initiative of the Malta Freeport Corporation, avoiding the need for vessels to keep their engines running while at berth, will also lead to cleaner air, less noise and vibration

and less CO2, further strengthening the Freeport’s environmental credentials as well as significantly reducing inconvenience to residents caused by engines of berthed container ships. The tender for this project has been issued by Malta Freeport Corporation and is due to come on stream in 2024.

The company has also completed a 2.43MW solar panel project on both the Terminals’ internal and

external carparks, generating over 3,600MWh of energy per year. This is equivalent to savings of over 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, further strengthening the Freeport’s environmental credentials.

The facility has received the highest international certification for its efforts, obtaining the coveted ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 45001 (Safety Management System), and ISO 14001

(Environmental Management System) certification for operating an integrated Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Management System.

Malta Freeport’s drive to be a top green facility will continue unabated. Whatever challenges lie ahead, the Company is fully committed to moving forward in terms of both efficiency and environmental standards in its mission to be recognised as a Port of the Future.

Warriors of the Sea… Malta’s Tugs

Interview – Mr. John E. Sullivan

On 18th March of this year, the vessel MT Chem P was in danger of running aground if it weren’t for the timely intervention of the Ports and Yachting Directorate of Transport Malta and Tug Malta, whose vessels and crew battled the high waves and strong winds to make sure that the vessel would not run aground.

In this edition of T-21, we are going to take a look at Tug Malta, their operations and why the services the company offers are so indispensable for the safety of maritime crews and vessels. T-21 spoke with the Chairman of Tug Malta, Mr. John E. Sullivan, about the company’s role in the maritime sector.

Towage services in the harbours and territorial waters of the Maltese Islands are regulated in terms of the Authority for Transport in Malta Act (Cap.499) and the Towage (Tariff of Rates) Regulations (S.L. 499.49) of the Laws of Malta, and shall be under the supervision and regulation of the Authority.

Port Notice No 1 of 2021 dated 17 February 2021 – Minimum Towage Requirements – issued by the Ports and Yachting Directorate, also applies.

1. Tug services in ports can be traced back at least to the mid 1800’s, when the traditional sailing ships used their own rowing boats to assist ships from drifting in ports. Since then, ship technology has advanced to the extent that at times, at least in calm waters, mega ships may not require tug assistance at all. How do you see further advancements in ship technology affecting tug service?

Over the years, the industry has seen substantial advancements in ship and tug technology, which has had a considerable effect on the towage sector. However, ships, particularly container main liner vessels, cruise liners and oil tankers, have grown bigger in size and have become much more manoeuvrable, and therefore require less tugs for assistance during berthing and unberthing.

Most ULCCs nowadays are fitted with very large bow thrusters, sometimes exceeding 3,000kW, and some of the larger ULCCs nowadays are fitted with twin bow thrusters. Propulsion system installations on these vessels have also seen a significant change.

Previously fitted with a single propeller shaft and single propeller driven by a large two stroke slow speed diesel engine, today we are seeing mega vessels propelled by means of two engines driving independent propeller shafts and propellers, and other vessels propelled by means of a single propeller

shaft and single propeller driven and supplemented by means of podded contra-rotating propellers and others with hybrid propulsion driving wings.

Cruise liners are either propelled by conventional propellers or by several podded azimuth thrusters. Apart from the propulsion system, most cruise liners are fitted with a multitude of transverse thrusters, even up to five in number, having three bow thrusters and two stern thrusters.

Cruise liners, which normally go to the West Caribbean and other environmentally sensitive areas, today have a dynamic positioning system (DP System) which allows the vessel to remain in a fixed position or to manoeuvre to a fixed position without the need to drop anchors or be assisted by tugs to do so.

All these advancements have had a considerable effect on the use of tugs and the number of tugs required to assist such vessels.

We could nowadays state that most cruise liners can do without tug assistance during berthing and unberthing operations. Similarly, advancements in tug technology have also had a considerable effect on the towage sector.

Most harbour tugs nowadays, at least the harbour tugs that were built over the last 10 years, are very powerful, having an installed engine power in the region of 4,000/5,000kW and achieving bollard pull capacity of around 70 to 80 tonnes.

Rather than having conventional propulsion systems, modern tugs are today fitted with a combination of an azimuth thruster configuration. The most common type is the Azimuth Stern Drive configuration [ASD], with two Azimuth thrusters installed at the stern end of the tug. The Azimuth Tractor Drive tug [ATD] has two Azimuth thrusters installed at the forward end of the tug, whereas the Rotor Tug has three Azimuth thrusters installed, two at the forward end and one Azimuth thruster installed at the central part

of the tug. Tugs fitted with these types of propulsion systems have excellent manoeuvrability capabilities, can provide any pushing or pulling assistance in the least possible time, and can change position or direction of pull/push in a relatively short time.

Another significant advancement in tug technology that we have seen in these last few years is the advances in towing winches. Most tugs are now fitted with a high brake holding power winch and full render/recovery escort winches.

All these enhancements have over the years seen a significant decrease in the number of tugs employed to assist vessels during berthing and unberthing operations. Tug operators are becoming more environmentally sensitive and are also opting for greener propulsion systems. A few hybrid propelled tugs have been built and now that battery technology has improved significantly, all-electric tugs with zero emissions are also being built.

2. In the mid 19 th century the first steam propelled tugs were introduced in the Grand Harbour to assist Royal Navy warships in and out of our ports. These tugs also assisted merchant shipping vessels when required and, over time, tug services were taken over by commercial companies. I understand that the first new commercial tug, called St. Elmo, was ordered right after Malta’s Independence. How far have tug services improved since then?

Commercial harbour towage became active in Maltese harbours in the early sixties, following the commercialisation of the British Admiralty Dockyard in 1959. Up to the mid-sixties most harbour facilities, including buoys, fell under the responsibility of the British Admiralty, and as a result, commercial vessels calling in Malta were mostly assisted by the British Admiralty tugs stationed in Malta. Commercial tugs operated by Malta Tug & Lighter Services Ltd, primarily used to tow barges with cargo discharged from vessels, on a few occasions assisted commercial vessels while berthing stern to at Fishmarket or Bridge Wharf in the Grand Harbour.

In June 1961, Midmed Towage Company Ltd was formed between two shareholding companies – C. H. Bailey Ltd of Cardiff, appointed operators of the Admiralty Dockyard through a Malta registered Company Bailey (Malta) Ltd formed on 1st March 1959, and Malta Tug & Lighter Services Ltd, each holding 50% of shares to provide towage and salvage services in the harbours and territorial limits of Malta, and a year later, they introduced two newly built single screw-tugs; CHRIS B, renamed ST ANGELO, and SARA B, renamed ST LUCIAN, each with a power of 1,090 BHP and a Bollard Pull of 15 tonnes. The tugs were both built at Atlantic Shipbuilding Co, at Newport Wales, Bailey’s own shipyard.

Meanwhile, in early 1962, Mediterranean Salvage and Towage Company Ltd [MST] was formed initially between Henny and Edward Scicluna, later in 1964 joined by Hugo Pace & Sons and Mifsud Brothers, operating similar services offered by Midmed with a tug named BULL TERRIER, re-engined with two English Electric diesel engines built in 1964 at Rugby, England.

The ST ELMO, newly built by W. J. Yarwood of Norwich, U.K., a single screw in Kort Nozzle tug

with a power of 1,440 BHP Ruston & Hornsby diesel Engine and a Bollard Pull of 20 tonnes, was delivered to Midmed in November 1965 and was the first Maltese owned vessel to be registered under the new Maltese Shipping Register after Malta achieved its Independence.

As you rightly said, over the last 60 years or so, the type and power of today’s fleet has changed dramatically, and today Tug Malta operates a varied, modern, manoeuvrable, and powerful fleet of nine (9) tugs, all forming part of the Regulated Services, producing a total Bollard Pull of 600 tonnes varying in power from 10 to 83 tonnes.

When Tug Malta commenced towage operations back in October 1980, the fleet consisted of seven (7) tugs with a total Bollard Pull of 118 tonnes varying in power between 12 and 22 tonnes – one twin screw tug, five single screw tugs and one single screw in Kort Nozzle tug.

3. Between the 1960s and the 1970s there were two commercial tug companies operating tug services in Malta. At some point in the 1980s tug services were ationalized with the setup of Tug Malta. What is the situation today?

My understanding is that Tug Malta succeeded Midmed Towage and Mediterranean Salvage & Towage on 1st October 1980. Can you please elaborate on this?

In October 1973, the three companies operating towage and lighterage services in the Harbours and Territorial Waters of Malta – Midmed, MST and MTLS – were informed by the then Crown Advocate General that it was Government’s intention to bring under its control all port facilities then in commercial ownership, including tug operations undertaken by the companies. A Bill was then put before Parliament intended to requisition, if necessary, the assets of the companies concerned, although it was the wish of Government that the transfer of these facilities to Government control be by negotiated settlement with the least harmful effect possible on all concerned.

At a subsequent meeting held later the same week, Government, through its representatives, confirmed that it was prepared to accept Market Values for

the valuation of the assets in question, and the Companies undertook to provide Government with the list of assets in question indicating market values.

The list of assets was duly submitted to Government with prices based on valuations given by C. H. Rugg & Co Ltd, Shipbrokers and Admiralty Valuers and Lambert Brothers Ltd, Shipbrokers, both of London.

Following the submission of the respective values, no further discussions were held with Government for several years.

In March 1978, Government, through the then Ministry for Development, Energy and Ports, again indicated that it was its intention to take over the port towage services by forming a new towage Company, the shareholders of which would include Malta Development Corporation, Malta Drydocks, Sea Malta and possibly other parastatal Companies. Midmed Towage and MST would also be offered shares in the new Towage Company and later in September of that year negotiations with the Ministry

of Development commenced.

Meanwhile in July 1979 Tug Malta Limited was formed between Malta Development Corporation (MDC), holding the majority shares (77.9%), Malta Drydocks (12%), Investment Finance Bank (10%), and Sea Malta (0.1%), with a total Issued Capital of 1,200,000 ‘A’ Ordinary Shares of one Maltese Lira (Lm1) each, and Sea Malta had the option to acquire within two years up to a further 239,000 ‘A’ Ordinary Shares at par value from MDC. In addition, the Authorised Capital included 800,000 ‘B’ Ordinary Shares of one Maltese Lira (Lm1) each, which were earmarked for the private shareholders once negotiations with Midmed and MST were finalised.

Negotiations with both Midmed and MST were finally concluded on 30 th September 1980.

Midmed sold its tug ST ELMO, renamed KATRIN, to Tug Malta for the price of Lm155,000, and acquired an equivalent number of shares in Tug Malta – 155,000 ‘B’ Ordinary Shares of Lm1 each

and chartered three other tugs; ST ROCCO, renamed ZOLLA, ST LUCIAN,renamed GERIT, and ST ANGELO, renamed VITORIN, to Tug Malta for a minimum period of six months.

MST sold its tugs CAMBRIAN, renamed MARI, and ROSSGARTH, renamed ROZI, to Tug Malta, and acquired 110,000 ‘B’ Ordinary Shares in Tug Malta.

Most, if not all, of the employees of both Midmed and MST, working afloat and ashore, were taken over by Tug Malta effective 1st October 1980, the day when Tug Malta took over towage operations in the Harbours and Territorial Waters of the Maltese Islands.

4. Who owns Tug Malta? I was reading that the company is a subsidiary of Rimorchiatori Riuniti SpA of Genova. How did this come about?

Tug Malta is now owned by Rimorchiatori Mediterranei SpA, forming part of Rimorchiatori Riuniti Spa (RR Group) of Genova, Italy. Established in Genova in 1922, the RR Group today operates towage and related offshore services in several ports of Italy, including Genova, Salerno, Ravenna, Trieste,

Ancona, Pescara, and Sicily, including Augusta, Catania, and Syracuse. Besides the Malta operation, the RR Group also operates towage and/or offshore services in Norway, Greece, Colombia, and recently in Singapore and Malaysia. The RR Group are also involved in the International Shipping Trade and Ship Management, and own vessels registered under the Malta Flag.

In September 2006, the Privatisation Unit within the Ministry of IT and Investment published an international Call for Expression of Interest for the sale of the Government’s Shareholding in Tug Malta. The main motive behind the privatisation of Tug Malta was to introduce a strategic investor who had the capability to exploit business development potential in offshore operations and in harbour towage services in other Mediterranean ports.

The respondents to this Call for Expression of Interest were later issued with a Request for Proposal (RFP) document including further information, as well as terms and conditions of the sale and bidding process until closure of the transaction.

Eleven international Companies involved in towage and salvage operations signed a confidential

agreement and collected the RFP. Eventually, five offers were received and, after due evaluation by the Privatisation Unit, Rimorchiatori Riuniti SpA of Genova was declared the preferred bidder.

Finally, in July 2007, after further discussions between the Privatisation Unit and Rimorchiatori Riuniti, a newly formed local Company, Rimorchiatori Malta Limited, fully owned by Rimorchiatori Riuniti, purchased the Government shareholding held by

Malta Government Investments Ltd – 1,080,000 ‘A’ Ordinary Shares , thus acquiring 74% of Tug Malta.

Subsequently, in September 2007, Rimorchiatori Malta Limited also acquired the balance of “A” Ordinary shares – 120,000 from HSBC Bank Malta plc, and in January 2008 acquired all the ‘B’ Ordinary shares – 265,000 from the remaining two private shareholders.

5. What is the current composition of the Tug fleet?

NAME

BKW BP PROPULSION BUILT TONNES UNITS/TYPE

YEAR BHP

SEA SALVOR 1998 4,568 3,360 55

Azimuth Tractor – Aquamaster

PAWLINA 2006 5,600 4,180 68 Azimuth Stern Drive – Aquamaster

WENZINA 2006 5,600 4,180 68 Azimuth Stern Drive – Aquamaster

SPINOLA 2009 7,180 5,280 83 Azimuth Tractor – Voith Schneider

ST ELMO 2011 5,600 4,180 76 Azimuth Stern Drive – RR Aquamaster

ST ANGELO 2017 6,672 5,050 82 Azimuth Stern Drive – Rolls Royce

VITTORIOSA 2019 6,866 5,180 83 Azimuth Stern Drive – Rolls Royce

GOZZO 2019 - 626 10 Twin Propellers Nozzles

SENGLEA 2020 6,772 5,050 76 Azimuth Reverse Drive – Rolls Royce

6. The sizes of today’s vessels are every time increasing in dimensions. This can be seen from the larger cruise liners entering Grand Harbour and the merchant ships visiting the Malta Freeport. The same applies for the larger super tankers. Is this fact necessitating the need for larger, more powerful tugs?

With its present fleet of tugs, Tug Malta is well equipped to handle the mega vessels calling in Malta, including the larger super tankers and container vessels when ordered to do so. The same applies to the larger cruise liners which anyway very rarely, if ever, use tugs when equipped with functional thrusters.

7. What is normally the composition of the crew during an assignment?

All commercial vessels certified to be used or operated for hire or reward within the ports, internal waters and territorial waters of the Maltese Islands, and the safety and manning requirements of such vessels, are regulated in terms of the Authority for Transport in Malta Act [Cap.499] and the Commercial Vessels Regulations [S.L.499.23], which include The Code of Practice for the Safety of Commercial Vessels forming part of these Regulations and enforceable as part of the Laws of Malta.

When operating in local waters, the composition of a Crew consists of three persons, including a Master, an Engineer, and a General Purpose Hand.

8. Does the crew undergo continuous training in Malta or abroad?

Crews are licensed by the Authority for Transport in Malta in accordance with the Commercial Vessels Regulations to act as Master, Engineer or General Purpose Hand on a tugboat following suitable courses organised by the Nautical Institute at MCAST – Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology. Moreover, the Company encourages its Masters, Engineers, and other crew members to be suitably certified in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW certification). The crews undergo regular and continuous training, including periodical safety drills, in Malta as well as abroad, the latter following the acquisition of a new vessel.

9. What determines the number of tugs required during assistance? Is it only size and technology or also weather conditions?

The number of tugs required during assistance is determined by the “Minimum Towage Requirements” issued by Chief Officer and Harbour Master of the Ports and Yachting Directorate based on the size, condition and technology of the vessel. Weather conditions would also be taken into consideration by the Port Pilot, more so in adverse conditions.

10. What other services does the company offer? Are tugs or can tugs also be used for firefighting and accidents relating to pollution, such as oil spills?

The services provided by Tug Malta include towage services in the ports of Malta and Gozo as defined in the relative legislation, including from port to port and emergency services, the latter including territorial limits and around the coastline of the Maltese Islands. The Company is obliged to have 24/7/52 weeks p.a. availability of tugs in the Grand Harbour and Marsaxlokk Harbour, and other reliable resources required to assist in emergency situations, in the rescuing of equipment, human life and protecting the environment, provided that such services are required within the context of the towage services, including firefighting at sea, and not as a replacement of other services within the remit of the Armed Forces and the Civil Protection Department.

Seven of the present fleet of tugs are fitted with firefighting equipment certified as FIFI 1 and one

tug is equipped with two general service pumps connected to a sea water inlet and to the ship’s set firefighting hydrants. One tug is also equipped with anti-pollution equipment operating a clear spray dispersant system with a capacity of 50/min at 10 bar and an oily water separator.

11. Does the company assist vessels outside port areas or outside territorial waters? Have there been such occasions?

Yes, we do, not only outside port services but even well beyond territorial limits when the Crew is certified as such by the Authorities.

12. Do you see any future growth in port services and expansion of our ports in the medium to long term?

In the medium term unlikely, in the long term possibly.

Inter-Harbour Ferry Service numbers rising back to pre-Covid Levels as new infrastructure will be made available as of next year.

Across Our Harbours

A decade of alternative transport for all

Words: Konrad Muscat, Janice Borg and Peter Paul Barbara

Transport Malta’s introduction of the inter-harbour ferry service ten years ago will culminate in the introduction of new passenger terminals on both sides of the Valletta peninsula next year.

Throughout its operation, the inter-harbour ferry service has gone from strength to strength, interrupted only by the negative impact of COVID-19 over two years, which affected not just this ferry service but also a number of other privately operated transport services which were being operated in preCOVID years.

To mark the ten-year anniversary of the reintroduction of the service, which was booming prior to the Second World War and up to almost twenty years after that, until the bus and the car started to take over as the main means of transport in the Inner Harbour area, T-21 obtained comments from the Director of Ports Commercial within Transport Malta, Konrad Muscat, and Perit Janice Borg, Head of the Maritime Unit within Infrastructure Malta, about both the current state of play of the

ferry service as well as with respect to the new infrastructure to be launched next year.

Since the inter-harbour ferry service was first introduced as part of the overall Valletta Strategy exactly ten years ago, patronage for this service has significantly increased year after year, with the largest number of commuters travelling between Sliema and Valletta. Service operational hours have also been extended due to this steady increase in the number of passengers, that is until COVID-19 struck and related measures kicked in, which also saw a massive decline in the number of tourists visiting Malta (negligible across various months) as well as a decline in foreigners living and working in Malta.

The latest data provided by the Ports Commercial

Unit within Transport Malta shows that the number of commuters is currently on the rise again, with this year recording the highest increases when compared to 2020 and 2021 levels. As the situation continues to normalise to pre-COVID levels and as the planned infrastructure becomes ready for use, it is expected that in 2023 the number of commuters using the service will continue to increase, not just to pre-COVID levels but also superseding them.

As stated earlier, the current inter-harbour ferry service between Sliema and Valletta and between Valletta and Cottonera was reintroduced in 2012, hence this year we are celebrating the first decade since the service was launched.

Konrad Muscat highlighted the efficiency of the service in one single paragraph, stating that “ this is a highly efficient service which is provided with two purposely built ferry vessels, each with a carrying capacity of 200 passengers. The average frequency of trips is 30 minutes, and each trip takes approximately 5 minutes each way to complete”.

Those frequenting the multiple ferry landing sites would have noticed works being carried out on these areas for quite some time now; work which includes improvements or rather the rebuilding of the existing

ferry landing sites into state-of-the-art landing places, mainly at Sliema, Cospicua and Marsamxett.

The projects are being carried out by Infrastructure Malta after ERDF Funds were sought to co-finance the terminals and the projects planned by Transport Malta and the then Maritime Unit within the now defunct Road Infrastructure Directorate, as part of a policy to promote the setting up of a number of Sustainable Multimodal Transport Hubs at strategic locations across Malta and Gozo. Works on these Ferry landing sites are well underway, with the superstructure at the Sliema Site being put in place.

The notion of sustainable multimodal transport hubs to promote inter-modality among a number of transport modes and mobility solutions was also designed to include water transport in maritime towns and villages around Malta, especially in view of the small size of the islands and hence proximity to the shoreline.

Director of Ports Commercial Konrad Muscat said that, “Once ready, the landing stations will include seating and sheltering facilities as well as timetables with real time information and facilities accommodating alternative modes of transport and connections to circular bus routes, so that the Ferry

should not only be viable for people living in close proximity to the landing point but also to people living further away, where walking is not an option because of distance”.

Currently, Malta Public Transport already operates a direct route around Valletta which is synchronized with the ferry service schedule.

The promotion of waterborne transport has always been a priority and a main objective for Transport Malta. The rebuilding of the Barrakka Lift was also part of this holistic transport policy, whereby connectivity has been improved from the Grand Harbour straight into Valletta, allowing commuters to make the trip directly from the Cottonera area to the Ta’ Liesse ferry landing site, up the lift and straight into the heart of Valletta. Last year, these services were complemented by the introduction of the Mġarr-Valletta fast ferry service, which also continues to increase the variety of water-based public transport.

Konrad Muscat said “Transport Malta will continue to promote water-based transport services in order to address traffic congestion on our roads, especially in peak hours as well as in a feat to address the issue of transport generated emissions”.

In the words of Perit Borg , “The new upgraded landing places seek to address a number of objectives which will improve Malta’s sea public transport infrastructure and reduce emissions. These include promoting the use of alternative means of public transportation, encouraging a modal shift to environmentally friendly modes of transport and providing connections between different modes of public transport. This development is expected to help improve the marine aspect of public transport by increasing its comfort and safety, providing appropriate facilities for the ferries, improving the reliability and resilience of water-based transport, developing a brand image for waterborne transport, link into real time multimodal transport information systems, and providing quick modes of transport to a number of locations”.

The road network is heavily congested and negatively impacting the economy, the environment and quality of life. In spite of the increase in patronage on the public transport system, a large part of the population continues to prefer the use of private cars. Encouraging the use of existing intermodal transport solutions and introducing further options would help to achieve a higher level of sustainability and increased efficiency.

Creating new connections between seaside localities in Malta and Gozo has a significant potential to positively impact the country. The provision of passenger transport capacity to replace road transport modes would significantly reduce the external costs of road transport in Malta, mainly originating from congestion, emissions and accidents. The current and possible expansion of the ferry service would have no significant loss from the existing bus transport and Gozo Ferry services. Such an increased network of alternative scheduled passenger transportation services will enhance the existing public transport system in Malta,

whilst ensuring the efficient utilisation of Malta’s geographical characteristics, which to date are underutilised, at the expense of land transportation services.

Perit Borg noted that, “One would be forgiven if they automatically associated mass transport with public coaches, mono-rails, trains and the like. However, keeping in context that our country is composed of a series of islands, sea travel has from time immemorial featured prominently on the list of such transport. It is worth mentioning common routes across both the Grand Harbour and Marsamxetto Harbour in addition to transits to Mġarr Harbour.”

The Head of the Maritime Unit within Infrastructure Malta said that “ this project has been designed to create ferry landing nodes which are functional and appealing to the general public. The project seeks to address a number of objectives that improve Malta’s sea public transport infrastructure. These include promoting the use of an alternative means of public transportation, encouraging a modal shift to mass modes of transport, and providing connections between different modes of public transport ”.

Perit Borg continued saying that, “ the improvement of the ferry landing sites is targeted to help improve the marine aspect of public transport. There will be an increase in comfort and safety with the provision of appropriate facilities at each site. Measures will also be put in place to improve the reliability and resilience of water-based modes of transport ”.

Forming part of this project is the upgrade of existing hubs at Sliema, Marsamxett and Cospicua. Original plans to test a Buġibba-Sliema route in around 2015 led to a decision that instead a new landing site would be constructed as of 2023 in Buġibba.

Perit Janice Borg said that “ the Cospicua and Sliema Ferry landing sites are currently in their final stages of construction, while works at the Buġibba and

Marsamxett sites are earmarked to start in 2023 ”

When asked about the construction process of the Cospicua and Sliema terminals, Perit Borg said that “both the Cospicua and the Sliema sites included the construction of a deck on piles projecting over the water. The Sliema terminal has been designed to cater for the berthing of vessels up to 40m in length, and thus can be used in connection with the other sites located outside of the sheltered harbour areas”.

Perit Borg continued saying that “at both sites there will be a sheltered marshalling area for the use of passengers coupled with a ticketing booth equipped with the latest technologies. In addition, in Sliema there is also space for a public convenience and a small commercial area.

The quays will also have movable passenger bridges (ramps) for the safe embarkation and landing of passengers, making this service accessible to all. Through these passenger bridges and the quay’s new fenders, the vessels will no longer need to be moored to the quay before passengers are boarded or disembarked. The new passenger bridges will also enable simultaneous embarkation and disembarkation”.

Gozo Channel

remains the main life-link between Malta and Gozo

Words - Peter Paul Barbara

After the negative impact of COVID-19 on almost all types of transport modes and operations, the situation seems to be slowly but surely recovering. This is also the case when it comes to passenger movements between the Port of Ċirkewwa and the Port of Mġarr, and for the Gozo Channel itself as the main transport operator between Gozo and Malta.

According to the last statistics published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) for the third quarter of 2022, Gozo Channel remains the main transport link between the two islands. In the third quarter of this year, Gozo Channel registered the highest increase in passenger movement when compared to the same period of the two previous years. Such an increase was also registered in the number of vehicles which crossed between the two islands during the same period. The increase was also registered with respect to travelling between the Port of Mġarr and the Port of Valletta.

Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa

From the data published, it is also evident, however,

that passenger numbers are still behind when compared to previous years, especially over the same quarter in 2019, which data shows as the busiest period registered between 2017 and 2022.

The statistics published by the NSO show that passenger movement aggregated a total of 1,590,386 passengers who travelled between the Port of Mġarr and the Port of Ċirkewwa during the third quarter of 2022. This means an increase of 13.4% when compared to the corresponding period of 2021. The highest number of passenger movements was recorded as expected in the month of August, with 562,464 or 35.4% of the total for the quarter.

In case of transport of vehicles to and from the same ports, an increase of 3.6% has also been registered when compared to the same period of the previous year, totalling 571,125.

The number of trips during the third quarter amounted to 9,138, an increase of 6.9% over the same period in 2021 (Table 2). August registered the highest number of trips - 3,084 or 33.7% of total trips for the quarter (Table 3).

An interesting observation is that during the months from January to September of this year, both for passenger and vehicle traffic starting from Ċirkewwa, the busiest days were Fridays and Saturdays, while for trips originating from the Mġarr Port to Ċirkewwa, the busiest days recorded for passenger movement were Sundays and Saturdays, while the busiest days for vehicle crossings were recorded on Sundays and Mondays.

From a total 1,788,244 passengers who crossed between Malta and Gozo, including the Mġarr to Ċirkewwa Route and the Mġarr to Valletta Route, the biggest market share for all types of passenger movement between the two islands remains that of the Mġarr to Ċirkewwa Route, with a market share of 88.9% when compared to the 11.1% market share of the Mġarr to Valletta Route.

With reports published in certain corners of the media that suggest the Malta-Gozo Tunnel project has been put on the back burner, at least for now,

the importance of both the Mġarr- Ċirkewwa Ferry Service as well as the Mġarr-Valletta Fast Ferry Service, again takes centre stage for the foreseeable future. If this is the case, it would be major news for all companies and operators involved in the ferry business as far as long-term operational planning, logistics and investment are concerned.

A historical background note about the Mġarr-Ċirkewwa Ferry Service

Historically, ferry services between the two islands goes back to 1241 (according to available records) with a transport service being offered using boats referred to in Gozo as Lateen Sails or, in Maltese, Dgħajjes tal-Latini. This type of boat seems to have survived until the 20 th Century. It is to be noted that up to this period, the Port of Mġarr was very different from what it is today, as the area was just a shallow harbour, exposed to winds with just a small jetty serving small boats, which is still there to the present day, in the area of the Gleneagles Bar, and which at that time was mainly used by local fishermen.

The development of the Mġarr Harbour to the port as we know it today, was carried out over the years, when a small breakwater was built in around the year 1841, to be enlarged several times with interventions in 1906, 1929, 1935 and 1969.

A reminiscent of scheduled transport between the two islands took shape in 1885, including an official mail service which was operated by O.F. Gollcher

& Sons Ltd with The Gleneagles, with users paying a small fee for the service. The Gleneagles gave service between the two islands as well as a weekly trip to Sicily until 1914.

As opposed to today, at the time, there was another operator providing concurrent transport services for both the transport of mail and passengers, which was offered by the Malta Steamship Company using the vessel The Princess Melita. From 1923 to 1937 this company operated two vessels, The Wembley, which sank in 1935, and The Golly, which was later sold in 1937.

These were followed by the Gozo Mail Service Company, which was a partnership between Joseph Gasan, Giovanni Dacoutros, the Grech family known as “Gelluxa”, and some ten other Gozitans with minority shareholding.

This company operated The Royal Lady between October 1938 and May 1942, and a sailing vessel, The Franco, between May 1942 and April 1948. Both vessels were bombed by the Germans during World War Two. The Royal Lady was sunk in 1942 and The

Franco received damage in its funnel but luckily kept running till 1948.

Bernard Zammit, on the other hand, operated two vessels, The King of England and Lady Strickland, which were both withdrawn from service in 1951.

Between 1947 and 1950 Joseph Gasan operated The Calypso. Joseph Gasan also operated The Bancinu between 1950 and 1957, when it eventually ran aground and sank during a storm. During the same period Mr Gasan operated The Maid of Pinto, a wooden schooner which sank in 1951, and The Pinu which finished its service in 1957, the same year as The Bancinu.

The Magro family operated The Ħanini between 1948 and 1956. They also operated The Queen of Peace between 1956 and 1970. The Queen of Peace was sold by the Magro family in the seventies and was used to carry cargo to North Africa until it was lost in North African waters with the loss of some Maltese.

In 1964 the Malta Aliscafi Ltd started operating a

hydrofoil service between Grand Harbour and Mġarr Harbour. The hydrofoil in use was called The Delfin It was commonly known as l-Iżgiċċ. The company went bankrupt in 1968

Gozo Channel Co. Ltd came into being

It was about this time when E. Zammit & Co. undertook the passenger and car ferry services between the Maltese Islands, a tender which was won against stiff competition. This service continued to be run by E. Zammit & Co., with annual tenders being won up to 1979, when the Government of the time decided to set up the Gozo Channel Co. Limited to run the service as a parastatal company. The Group retained substantial shareholding in this company till the early 1990s.

The Zammit family operated The Jylland from 1967. Karistu Zammit also operated The Melitaland and The Calypsoland up to 1978, and he also had The Minor Eagle, which used to operate the Gozo service between 1966 and 1976. This was renamed The Cominoland in 1976 and The Jylland II in 1980.

Gozo Channel (C 4314) was formed in 1979, to maintain, develop, and operate a sea transport service to and from Malta, Gozo and elsewhere.

The Company’s first vessels to operate the route were The M/V Għawdex (purchased in early 1979) The M/V Melitaland and The M/V Mġarr (exSalthorn), both purchased in early 1980. Initially, these vessels performed an average of eight round trips per day.

As the traffic between Malta and Gozo increased, more vessels were introduced into the service to keep up with the demand, and by 1990 the Company was operating five vessels, including a fast ferry service between Mġarr, Sliema and Sa Maison, and performing an average of 27 round trips per day. In that year, the Company carried 1.93 million passengers and 370,000 cars.

In 1995 there were four ferries: The Mġarr (exMarsdiep), The Ċittadella II (ex-Telstrom), The Calypso and The Għawdex

Between 1996 and 2001, the Gozo Channel replaced the hovermarine service by a high speed catamaran service between Sa Maison and Mġarr Harbour using S.E.S. Victoria Express.

In the mid 90s, the Company embarked on a very ambitious programme – the modernisation of the fleet. Plans for the construction of three ro-ro vessels at the Malta Shipbuilding were finalised amid longer than expected timeframes and over-budgeting to be completed.

The first vessel, The M.V. Ta’ Pinu, was introduced into service in March 2000, whilst the second ferry, The M.V. Gaudos entered into service in February 2001. The third vessel, The M.V. Malita, was delivered in March 2002. All vessels have state of the art technology.

The Mġarr ferry terminal was rebuilt at a cost of €9.3 million in the early 21st century. Work began in 2001 and took seven years to complete, with the terminal opening in February 2008. The Mġarr harbour now has facilities for around 600 passengers and 200

cars. The design of the new harbour was changed during the construction process to reduce its visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

The development of the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal, on the other hand, was completed in May 2013. It includes a passenger-handling building with gangway connections to the ships for foot passengers; vehicular marshalling areas; parking and land transport facilities; access and circulation roadways; additional berthing capacity; ancillary buildings and other general enhancements.

The Gozo Channel Company took over the management of the Ċirkewwa Terminal on 27th May 2013. The cost of the Ċirkewwa terminal was estimated at around €12,000,000, 85% of which was funded through the Cohesion Fund Cohesion Policy 2007 – 2013 Operational Programme I.

The following is a list of vessels operating the Gozo –Malta Ferry Services:

Fleet O.F. Gollcher Ltd: Gleneagles (1885-1914)

Fleet G.P. Sammut & Co: Princess Melita (1893 – 1923)

Fleet Francesco Pace: Piemonte (1897-1901)

Fleet Malta Steamship Co Ltd: Wembley (1923-1935) Golly (1932-1937)

Fleet Bernard Zammit: Lady Strickland (1929 – 1951) King of England (1933 – 1951)

Fleet Joseph Gasan, Giovanni Dacoutros & Grech Family: Franco (1936 -1948) Royal Lady (1937-1942)

Anna (1942)

Fleet Joseph Gasan: Calypso (1947-1950) Bancinu (1950-1957) Maid of Pinto (1950-1957) Pinu (1950-1957)

Fleet Magro Family: Ħanini (1948-1956)

Queen of Peace (1956-1970)

Fleet Magro & Zammit Families: Imperial Eagle (1958-1968)

Fleet Malta Aliscafi Ltd: Delfin (1964-1968)

Fleet E. Zammit & Sons Ltd: Minor Eagle (1966-1978) Jylland (1967-1978) Calypsoland (1969-1978) Melitaland (1974-1978)

Former ferries Gozo Channel Co. Ltd.: M/V Jylland (1967-1984)

M/V Calypsoland (1969-1984)

M/V Melitaland/ Bezz 20 (1974-1994, 1994-1996)

M/V Minor Eagle/ Cominoland/ Jylland II (1976-1980) M/V Għawdex (1978-2000)

M/V Mġarr (1979-1995) M/V Ċittadella/ Citta’ (1987-1995, 1995-1997) M/V SES Calypso (1988-1996) M/V Xlendi (1990-1999) M/V Mġarr (1995-2002) M/V Ċittadella (1995-2002)

M/V SES Victoria Express (1996-2002) M/V Calypso (1993-2004)

Fleet Gozo Channel Co. Ltd.: M/V Ta’ Pinu (2000-) M/V Gaudos (2002-) M/V Malita (2002-)

*The historical insight for this article was provided by Gozo Channel.

The National Household Travel Survey Published

The National Statistics Office, in collaboration with Transport Malta (TM), launched the fourth National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) in November 2021, with results published this year. This is the first time that NHTS results were calibrated and grossed up to corresponding population levels residing in private households, using data from the preliminary results of the Census of Population and Housing 2021.

This NHTS was carried out during the last quarter of 2021 and targeted a random sample of private households in Malta and Gozo. Travel patterns of all sampled household members over the age of 14 years were recorded. As anticipated, the collection of data required extensive cooperation between TM and responding households. The main objective of this survey was to have indications of travel patterns as well as modes of transport used in order to guide better future transport policies and strategies, including the update of the National Transport Strategy and Master Plan, which will be carried out on an updated National Transport Model.

The transport model will be used to assess and quantify current and future potential transport policies and measures in terms of their collective impacts on traffic congestion, modal shift, climate change and air quality by the year 2030.

This survey is the fourth one held in Malta, with the first edition carried out in 1989, followed by another in 1998 and a third one in 2010.

It was decided that the survey would be carried out on one particular travel day, that is Wednesday 17th November 2021, wherein travel habits would not be influenced by extraordinary or planned events.

Participating households were selected across all localities in Malta and Gozo in order to achieve an acceptable level of statistical significance for each of the 68 localities across the Maltese Islands. A sample of 6,700 was selected.

A Project Coordination Committee was set up among representatives of Transport Malta, the National Statistics Office, and consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers. The committee was chaired by David Sutton, Chief Officer of the Integrated Transport Strategy Directorate at Transport Malta.

The core team was managed by a project manager who reported to the Coordination Committee. Around 70 staff members were involved in the process of the necessary disciplines and skills to carry out the survey.

NHTS21 was conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on behalf of Transport Malta (TM), and supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-ofPublications/Documents/2022/NHTS/National%20 Household%20Travel%20Survey%20Publication.pdf

ICT Team

Web applications, development, database development and administration, data security

Project Steering Committee

Project Steering and strategy

Project Manager

Survey project management

Statistical Analysis Team

Sampling methodology, response monitoring, date validation, results analysis

Support Team

Pre-and-postTravel Day telephone calls, helpline response, data input

Regulatory Team Data protection and data privacy

The Other side of the National Household Travel Survey

Words: Peter Paul Barbara

The

National

Household Travel Survey

carried out by the National Statistics Office (NSO) has been published, showing that 84% of commuters are using their private vehicle for daily trips, with 70,000 people out on the road in their car at the 8am peak and 55,000 staying home to telework!

The Survey, which was carried out over one specific travel day, Wednesday 17th November 2021, also shows that on that particular day, 7% of commuters chose to walk to their destinations, with only 5.2% taking the bus. During the morning peak of that day, the time bracket during which most trips started was between 06:00 and 09:00, and a total of 218,360 trips were carried out.

What immediately jumped out from the survey’s results was the fact that the personal vehicle is still the preferred mode of transport when compared to public transport or to the softer modes of transport. In such surveys it is equally important to dissect and take note of all the data gathered, as these also give indications of travel trends, mainly brought about by people’s lifestyles and needs.

It is equally important to ask why. Why such results? What are the reasons that make people decide which mode of transport they choose?

The Power of Teleworking in combating Traffic Congestion

Without stating the obvious from the published results, especially when it comes to public transport, what is strikingly important from this survey is that almost 55,000 people were teleworking or preferred to telework on that particular day, of which 39% were residing in the Northern Harbour district.

Such numbers, when compared to the 70,000 taking to their personal car to commute, is very telling indeed. It is certain that if these people were out in their car that day, it might have meant, although one can only base this on assumption, that congestion levels on the road on that particular day could have been higher. We can however neither ascertain nor confirm how many of those teleworking on that day would have actually used public transport, cycled,

walked, or indeed used their private car.

This survey and the ensuing results don’t show or mean that this is the current general trend for commuting, or the preferred mode of transport chosen by commuters today, that is, a year after the survey was carried out, although the counter argument of this may be that the mood will not dramatically change over such a short period of time.

One has to point out that public bus transport has become free of charge as from 1st October of this year. To know if this has or will have a tangible impact or not, as far as a modal shift is concerned, we will have to wait until another survey is carried out. Secondly, the commuter’s mood was only tested over one particular day of the week, in that particular moment in time. One may argue that the survey is a snapshot of what happened on that particular day.

An important factor that one has to keep in mind when looking at these results is the fact that Malta was still just emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, which might have influenced commuters to choose their transport mode, especially, not public transport to limit contact with other commuters. (see note below)

The not-so-obvious may be because it is too obvious

Another figure which might have been overlooked by commentators in the media is the post-work commute data gathered from this survey, which shows that this was less concentrated and spread out between 13:00 and 20:00, as opposed to the morning peak. This is undoubtedly an equally important indicator to take note of. The question is, why is this so? And secondly, why has public transport fared so badly, being even less popular than walking?

This is most probably also an indicator as to why people take to their private car in the first place in the early morning peak for commuting to whatever their destination they want to go, that being work, school, carrying out errands or leisure.

The numbers showing the wider distribution of uneven afternoon peaks speaks volumes. These numbers may be evidence or indicative of the

changing lifestyles of our population, being driven by whatever reasons those might be; choice, needs or exigencies that one cannot do without, which reasons are not the subject of this commentary.

Another pertinent question is whether people opting to work from home may also be one of the reasons why the afternoon peaks are so spread out, that is, due to people’s changing lifestyles or needs.

Most frequented locations

The survey was carried out with an age bracket including persons over 14 years old, to better understand travel patterns which would help plan an improved transport network. The survey also showed that the main reasons topping the need commute in Malta over that day were for education (12%) and for work (42%).

As expected, the survey shows that Msida is the most popular destination when it comes to commuting for educational purposes, especially since the locality hosts both the University of Malta and the Junior College.

As far as commuting for work purposes is concerned, Birkirkara proved to be the most popular destination with 7% of people driving, walking, or catching the bus to this locality, totalling to 12,186 trips. As far as shopping is concerned, Mosta seems to be the most popular destination for daily shopping and personal trips, and this is why Mosta is considered as the Central Business District.

Additional data

The total number of persons over the age of 14 who travelled amounted to 255,232, representing a share of 57.7%, with a total of 638,456 trips.

The most common trip purpose was that of commuting (42.2%), followed by trips with the purpose of going to or escorting someone to a place of education (11.6%), followed by shopping (9.3%).

As regards the highest number of trips registered for going back home, Mosta was also the locality that registered the most trips, with 8,780 trips. The fact that 55,000 people stayed home to telework might be the reason why the highest number of people

returning home might have been registered in this manner, especially when taking into consideration respective populations in other towns and villages.

Persons who made use of a private vehicle amounted to 220,532, the majority of whom were males (57.1%) and were in the 25-44 age bracket (45.1%).

The number of bus users was 20,465, who were predominantly female (51.2%), and 40.5% were 15 to 24 years of age. This might prove to be a positive result, showing that the younger generation is more likely to opt for public transport.

A final important observation from the survey is that the main concern of persons residing in Malta was that public transport buses were not punctual.

Note:

Important to no note is the fact that during November 2021, Malta had a high vaccination rate and there were no major restrictions to everyday activities that would limit mobility. Therefore, while the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic could be said to be minor, they should still be taken into consideration particularly when analysing the use of public and collective transport.

Purpose of Trip

Government Introduces Free Public Transport for All

Words: Ivan Pierre Vella Director Public Transport – Land Transport Directorate

The concept of offering free scheduled public transport was introduced in Malta in 2017, when all those who were 18 years of age started benefitting from using the scheduled public transport service free of charge. Since then, this measure saw multiple cohorts increasingly benefitting from free public transport year on year right up to 1st October 2022, when the free public transport measure was extended to everyone in possession of a personalised Tallinja Card (Adult, Student, Child, Gozo and Concession). With this initiative, Malta became the second country in Europe (after Luxembourg) where all passengers can travel for free when using scheduled public transport services.

The objective behind the introduction of this measure is to encourage a modal shift by incentivising travellers to reduce their dependence on private vehicles in favour of a mass means of transport. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road results in less traffic on the road and, as a direct result, less pollution.

Excluding the years 2020 and 2021, when the COVID-19 Pandemic took a considerable toll on passenger movements, the cohorts which were

benefitting from free public transport saw a year on year increase with an average of 6%.

Cohorts of passengers benefitting from Free Public Transport prior to 1st

October 2022

During 2017, the first year when this measure came into effect to a limited cohort comprised of 18 year olds, nearly 5,000 users benefitted from the initiative. Amongst themselves these persons undertook a total of 574,000 trips.

During the following year, this initiative saw the cohort of passengers who benefitted from free public transport expand to include all persons between the ages of 16 and 20 years. This expansion meant that just over 24,000 persons made use of the service free of charge. The total number of trips that were made under this measure in 2018 were 5.3 million.

Encouraged by the positive uptake of the measure, in 2019 more cohorts were added to the list of persons that started benefitting from free public transport. Eligible beneficiaries now included persons between the ages of 14 and 20 and students aged 21 and over. The number of passengers who benefitted from this measure rose to 40,400 who amongst themselves undertook nearly 8 million trips.

The cohorts that benefitted from free public transport during the following two years, that is 2020 and 2021, included the persons that were already benefitting from the measure during the previous years as well as persons who were 75 years and over, which was subsequently widened to include persons aged 70 and over and persons with a disability in 2021. One must keep in mind that during these two years, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had a very negative effect on society in general. People were travelling much less as students switched to online tuition, more workers did their work remotely, the number of tourists dwindled considerably, with no tourst arrivals recorded at all at one point, and generally people only travelled if absolutely necessary.

Notwithstanding this, in 2020 over 50,000 persons

benefitted from this measure. The number of trips conducted by these passengers amounted to 5.7 million.

As the country started recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, during 2021 the number of passenger trips rose to just under 7.3 million. The number of persons that benefitted from free public transport during this year rose to 61,000.

Applicability

The measure, since its inception, was open to holders of the personalised Tallinja Card (Student, Adult, Child, Concession and Gozo). It covered Day, Night and Special Service routes.

The measure operated on a refund system, whereby all credit consumed by a passenger during one month was refunded onto theirTallinja card as credit. With this system a passenger still needed to have enough credit on their card in order to be able to travel.

Enhanced Measure

During the Government Budget speech in 2021, it was announced that as of 1st October 2022, all persons in possession of a personalised Tallinja Card were entitled to travel for free when using the scheduled public transport service.

There was a further development on the system that had been employed since 2017. As stated earlier, up to 30 th September 2022, passengers needed to

have credit on their card in order to be able to travel. The new measure did away with this requirement.

A passenger is no longer required to have credit in order to be able to travel. All a passenger needs to do on boarding a bus is to tap their card on the card reader present on each bus.

One might ask why the tapping of the card is necessary now that the service is free. The nature of the service is very dynamic and requirements

and needs change over time. These requirements include population demographics both nationally and by locality, migration of the population (both permanently and seasonally), and new areas saturated with workplaces and schools, just to name a few. In order to be able to cater for such changes, one needs to have in hand the data on which to base studied decisions relating to changes.

The tapping of the card gives us most of this

Between January and September 2022 the same cohorts continued to benefit from this measure as implemented in 2021.

information. The information gathered helps us identify a number of crucial pointers on how the service can be improved. Such pointers include:

• Place of boarding;

• Route popularity;

• Passenger numbers during different times of the day;

• What type of passenger is using the bus (Adult, Child, Student, Gozo or Concession)

It is good to note that since the introduction of the new bus network in 2015, a good number of changes have been introduced in order to further improve the network. These included the addition of new routes, increased frequency on a number of routes, and modifications to routes (including adding new areas to the route).

In order to be able to manage a measure on this scale, changes to the software that powers this measure were needed.

Introduction of the new measure

The new measure was introduced successfully on 1st October 2022.

Although it is still early days, passenger figures indicate that the measure has been quite well-

received. Numbers indicate a rise in the number of passengers making use of the service.

This rise is resulting in an increase in demand. Close monitoring of the situation is taking place in order to be able to take the appropriate measures by way of increasing the supply relating to the service. Plans are at a very advanced stage to increase frequencies on a number of routes in order to be able to meet the anticipated rise in demand.

Get Malta Moving

The information campaign behind the introduction of free public transport

Adrian Dominic Ellul Manager - Marketing & Public Relations Unit

The Government had given the Free Public Transport initiative a lot of prominence before its launch on 1st October 2022, so much so that this initiative was mentioned extensively in the Minister’s Budget Speech for 2022.

The introduction of such an initiative would make Malta the second country in Europe to introduce free public transport for its citizens. Apart from this, such an initiative would mean that users would save about €400 each year if they were frequent public transport users.

Before the launch of the incentive, Transport Malta had conducted several meetings with Malta Public Transport to better understand what messages they wished to be conveyed during this campaign. The marketing campaign aimed to incentivise all local citizens to use the public transport service. Through this measure, the government intends to improve quality of life and contribute to sustainability by reducing traffic, private car usage and carbon emissions.

One cannot underestimate or fail to highlight the challenges this initiative and the accompanying marketing campaign would face once launched. It is undeniable that the Maltese people are very car-dependent and prefer to use their car for their everyday commutes. Upon further inspection, the

reason behind all this turns out to be that the Maltese people generally believe that the public transport service in Malta is not convenient and offers an unpleasant experience. Another challenge which needed to be overcome by this campaign was the common belief that increased use of public transport would not affect traffic congestion on Maltese roads.

Transport Malta immediately understood that to have a successful marketing campaign, this must catalyse a mind shift in the Maltese people’s perceptions of public transport. This would give users a new experience and shine a light on the brand’s advancements.

Three distinct yet intersecting streams were identified to form part of TM’s marketing strategy for this campaign: attracting, informing and encouraging people to use the free bus service. Through brand identity and an overarching message, TM aims to reposition the brand in people’s minds whilst communicating our key objectives. Through targeted messaging and adverts, the Authority aims to appeal

to key audience segments and speak directly to them.

Anyone can use the free service, however the conducted research shows that certain demographics are less empathetic towards using the bus service and have a negative perception of it, even at no cost. Hence, the campaign needed to attract these different audiences by appealing directly to each one.

The campaign needed to elucidate the benefits of this initiative. An improved bus service will take the user to any point in Malta without the hassle of driving. A bus will arrive at the user’s pick-up point on time and get him to his destination on time. A trip on the bus will allow the user to gain more time for himself and catch up on things he never finds time to do. By using this service, one is contributing to less cars on the road, hence less traffic and less carbon emissions.

This is how Get Malta Moving was born. This campaign is being conducted on both traditional media, such as radio and television, and social media. This campaign shall accompany you during the first months of this initiative to further highlight the benefits that such a proactive incentive can have on Malta’s transport system.

Getting ready for C-ITS

Kenneth Spiteri EU Projects Manager Ports & Yachting Directorate

It has been several years since Transport Malta began engaging in Intelligent Transport Systems. It specifically began when the European Parliament approved the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council. This directive defines the framework for implementing Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and integrating them with other modes of transportation.1

On 7th July 2010, the ITS Directive 2010/40/EU came into force. Exactly one year ago, on 14th December 2021, a legislative initiative was tabled by the European Commission, introducing amendments to Directive 2010/40/EU. The purpose of this was to demonstrate how ITS (Intelligent Transport System) has evolved rapidly since its inception.

ITS Directive 2010/40/EU provided the Maltese government with a benchmark for addressing safety, traffic, and transport concerns. In order to lay the foundations for ITS in Malta, Transport Malta embarked on a very challenging project. In response to two high level study reports conducted by two renowned international firms, Buchanan and ARUP, work on Malta’s first Traffic Control Centre began. At that time, Transport Malta secured approximately €5 million in EU funding with the expertise and know-how of its EU affairs office. An intelligent traffic management system has become a reality thanks to the efforts of a number of technocrats within Transport Malta.

What is ITMS?

ITMS is a system that incorporates existing systems and requirements in order to provide a systematic approach to surface transportation. Using ITMS, mobility can be enhanced by optimizing the efficiency of existing facilities by monitoring, evaluating, prioritising, and implementing operational management strategies. Traditionally, Transportation Systems Management (TSM) is viewed within this context. ITMS comprises some of the traditional TSM concepts. TSM, however, is not considered a shortterm or stopgap solution. In this regard, it considers TSM to be one of numerous tools that are available for managing the system. In addition to congestion management systems (CMS), travel demand management (TDM), transportation control measures (TCMs), and intelligent transportation systems (ITS), a variety of other tools can be used. Thus, ITMS provides the means by which the various programs can be incorporated into an integrated package for better mobility. According to this philosophy, transportation services should be transparent to users and can be delivered efficiently while meeting local needs as well. In order for ITMS to perform effectively, it is essential to build and maintain institutional relationships that support the mission of providing transparent services across modes of transportation. This includes police, fire, towing, and emergency medical services.

Perhaps a few examples of what ITMS can do would be illustrative of the concept. ITMS is multimodal, but not in the sense of just considering transit as a separate mode. Full integration of transit into the transportation system, not as a separate consideration, is required. In a major incident, it involves the coordinated response of police, fire,

ambulance, and wrecker services. A basic planning consideration is integrating high occupancy vehicles into the overall system. The concept involves taking into account pedestrians and bicycles during the operation of a system, appreciating the importance of these self-powered modes as part of the system, and not ignoring them after all other considerations have been addressed. Due to its multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary nature, ITMS is suited to the needs of users who do not expect their city limits or departments to be the cause of inefficient system operation. Travellers, for example, expect to receive emergency response services in a timely manner, but they do not anticipate identifying the numerous agencies required to respond to such an incident. Depending on the location, ITMS will have a different scope. In large urban areas, sophisticated systems provide a wide range of services for the public. Smaller urban areas will have fewer needs due to a less congested environment. The key point is that technology and operational procedures can be used to improve the efficiency of transportation services.

ITS in a wider perspective (C-ITS)

Significant general improvements in transport were recorded throughout the world during the first era of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Traditional ITS, such as ATLS (automated traffic light systems), VMS (variable message signs), CCTV and more, played a key role. The ITS industry has undergone a progressive shift over the past 15 years, from projects relating to infrastructure, such as variable message signs, to solutions related to communication technologies. This shift resulted in a significant change from how we managed traffic in the past. Transport Malta must admit that in the last few years, we have missed a few opportunities to keep up with all the developments taking place at the level of the European Union.

There is a brand new era emerging in the world of ITS, and it is called C-ITS. C-ITS is an acronym for Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems. This refers to a set of technologies and applications that facilitate communication between road users and the surrounding digital infrastructure through wireless communications. Among the different communication methods available are vehicle-tovehicle (V2V), vehicle to road infrastructure (V2I or I2V), vehicle to other (vulnerable) road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcyclists (vehicle-to-everything or V2X), and infrastructure-

to-infrastructure (infrastructure-to-infrastructure or I2I), such as traffic lights, cameras, sensors, variable message signs (VMS), and traffic information centers (TMC). By utilising this technology, road users and traffic managers can interact and coordinate their actions, enabling them to make the right decisions and adapt to changing traffic conditions.

For road safety and traffic fluidity, C-ITS promotes information exchange between vehicles and other entities. In the case of a vehicle, the network node will be equipped with an on-board unit (OBU), which provides V2X communication capabilities as well as calculation, display, and utilisation of all information necessary to facilitate C-ITS. An RSU, on the other hand, consists of a combination of devices that are installed on the roadside. It can act as an intermediary that transfers data between vehicles and central entities, or it may be able to operate independently with C-ITS applications. In order to ensure communication among vehicular nodes, two main types of technologies are considered: short distance wireless communication technologies, which allow direct communications among vehicles and RSUs, and cellular communication technologies. These standards, such as IEEE 802.11p (ITS G5 in Europe) and LTEV2X, operate in the 5.9GHz band dedicated to C-ITS. To ensure reliable vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to roadside (V2R) communication in Europe, a frequency bandwidth of 70MHz (5.855 - 5.905GHz) is allocated. It should be noted, however, that Cellular V2X (C-V2X) is technology agnostic when it comes to direct communication in Europe. On the other hand, V2X communication may use cellular technologies (4G/5G) to exchange data. The use of cellular communication is particularly advantageous in sparsely populated areas for communications from vehicle to vehicle or vehicle to everything (V2X) with low traffic density. Further benefits of 5G technology can be attributed to its emerging features such as Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), slicing, and so on.

As part of the European Commission’s Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) strategy, which represents a milestone initiative in the development of cooperative, connected, and automated mobility, a communication was adopted on 30 th November 2016. In 2016 and prior to that, policy makers and other players in the ITS world together with OEMs (car makers), were already anticipating that innovation in the industry would not stop at connected devices, but would also interrelate directly

with each other and with the road infrastructure. A decision was taken by the EU Council in July 2019 to object to the proposal for a Delegated Regulation on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), making harmonisation of C-ITS in the EU more difficult in the future. In order to create a single market for cooperative, connected and automated vehicles, the European Commission used the ITS Directive 2010/40/EU as a platform. As a benchmark, the European Commission (EC) refers to the learning experience, pilot projects and initiatives gathered under C-ROADS (an authority driven platform, bringing 16 Member States and road authorities together with the aim to deploy inter-operable C-ITS services across Europe). The main reason of objection was ‘technology neutrality’, an argument put forward by the 5GAA, a global, cross-industry organisation of companies from the automotive, technology, and telecommunications industries, working together to develop end-to-end solutions for future mobility and transportation services. They have argued that the current C-V2X generation and LTE-V2X are fully standardised and ready for deployment in all countries. However, during the European Commission meetings, 5GAA proved this to be untrue. Members of the European Union and the European Commission may therefore consider including it in the delegated act. In contrast, the Car-to-Car Communication Consortium, a leading European automobile manufacturer and research institution, demonstrated a wide range of use cases/ deployments using the ITS-G5.

As a result of the C-ITS application’s success, vehicular nodes will have to cooperate in order to exchange accurate and reliable information via several services, including CAS and CPS. For this to be achieved, each entity’s behavior and responsibilities must be clearly defined and assigned. In order to achieve this, ETSI and ISO have defined C-ITS. V2X communications support these novel applications by utilising cellular and wireless technologies in order to meet the high QoS requirements of new vehicular applications.

ITS-G5 is a European standard for V2V and V2R radio access technologies using the designated C-ITS 5.9GHz frequency band. Based on IEEE 802.11p, ITS-G5 technology enhances the classical IEEE 802.11 standard in order to enable efficient V2V and V2R direct communication in highly mobile environments. In similar fashion to other IEEE 802.11 technologies, IEEE 802.11p utilises Carrier Sense

Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) as its underlying channel access method.

C-V2X: In order to respond to the expansion of vehicular communication as well as the evolution of its use cases, 3GPP introduced the V2X standard based on LTE in 2017, with the Release 14 (Rel14) specification. The technology is generally referred to as “cellular V2X” (C-V2X) or LTE-V2X in order to distinguish it from the 802.11p-based V2X technology. Additionally, to direct communications (V2V, V2I), C-V2X supports wide area 24 communication over cellular networks (V2N). C-V2X is defined as a technology platform that combines two types of communication:

(1) a direct short-range mode operating over the 5.9GHz spectrum and not requiring any network coverage or subscription

(2) a long-range mode using traditional cellular networks resources using mobile network operator licensed spectrum

4G/5G: Cellular technologies have witnessed dramatic growth over the past two decades. The goals of these enhancements include achieving high service quality with high throughput, low

latency, and increased reliability. In light of these developments, automotive research institutes and industrial communities are expressing interest in utilising this efficient communication technology to provide vehicular services in the form of multi-hop, trusted, secure and low latency communication with high reliability that will satisfy vehicle service requirements. In this context, there is an increasing interest in considering cellular networks such as 4G (LTE) and 5G in order to compete with other technologies such as IEEE 802.11p. It is the aim of 5G to promote ultra-low latency, massive machinetype communication, and enhanced mobile broadband at faster speeds. In comparison with 4G, 5G offers improved performance in terms of data rate (over 1Gbps per user; 10 times more than LTE), latency (1ms vs. 10ms in LTE), and energy efficiency.

We have witnessed significant progress in the design, development, and deployment of C-ITS systems for the purpose of improving road safety. The primary objective of this system is to prevent/ reduce accidents by warning the driver or vehicle of potentially dangerous situations. In the absence of C-ITS, vehicles would need to perceive their surroundings through on-board sensors, such as radars, lidars, and cameras. Because of sensor inaccuracy or a limited field of view, a perception

system based solely on local observations is inadequate for complex driving manoeuvers, such as lane changes in urban areas or lane merges. Through C-ITS, a global perception is developed based on collaboration between all vehicular entities (vehicles, roadside infrastructure, traffic management centers, etc.). In fact, enhanced perception relies on multiple messages, such as the Cooperative Awareness Message (CAM) and Collective Perception Message (CPM), in order to provide a complementary perception of the local environment as well as an assessment of the state variables of other road users. Since C-ITS applications must operate in heterogeneous environments in terms of environmental conditions (e.g. road types, weather conditions) and technology (e.g., communication media, network infrastructure), we consider context awareness to be a critical aspect of intelligently controlling protocols and services, particularly CAS and CPS, and ensuring that appropriate decisions are made depending on each traffic situation encountered.

The road ahead for Transport Malta is not easy, due to the fact that we have lost a few years along the way; however, Transport Malta could be the catalyst for transforming the way we drive and the way we manage traffic in the years to come by elevating it to the next level. When the right shots are taken, TM can take advantage of the benefits that are being created by this evolution in transportation.

Kenneth Spiteri holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from London Metropolitan University and an MBA (E-business) and M.A. in European Legal Studies from the University of Malta.

A New Driving Licence Renewal Platform

Words: Gilbert Agius Deputy Chief Officer – Land Transport

At present, there are in circulation approximately 277,540 Maltese license holders, of which 5,000 are new driving licences that were issued between January and October of this year.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Unit within the Land Transport Directorate has recently introduced a new and improved driving licence photocard format as part of its commitment towards improving its operations, which in addition to visual changes has enhanced security features to further reduce any possibility of document forgery or falsification.

In compliance with the Authority’s vision to minimise the need to physically visit its offices and with the aim of providing more efficient online services, a new online portal was launched whereby prospective driving licence holders are able to apply for and obtain a driving learner permit through the website www.licenzji-xufiera.gov.mt, with the entire process now also being completely paperless, including a doctor’s medical certificate.

Following the success of the portal in the first quarter of the year, a new service was introduced where customers may check if their driving licence is valid, which provides the option to download the required documentation for renewal.

The liċenzji-xufiera portal also provides accessibility to driving licence holders to check the number of penalty points that are actively imposed on their driving licence. This allows drivers to effectively monitor their status at any given point in time in order to have control on any penalty points incurred.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Unit still follows up on every individual’s driving licence by sending a warning letter when someone is in the vicinity of a revocation or when a revocation has already been triggered.

Transport Malta is also working on the provision of a brand-new SMS service, whereby individuals who need to renew their driving licence, have arrears, have accumulated penalty points or have a revocation in place, will be informed via a message on their phone. This system will work conveniently in conjunction with the new platform and all the related and interjacent services.

In its commitment to keep building its one-stop shop concept, the Authority, together with the Office of the Prime Minister, launched an improved and optimised online driving licence renewal service which was embedded in the licenzji-xufiera.gov.mt portal. This enhanced service has replaced the old driving licence renewal portal and provides users with a faster and more efficient experience, whilst at the same time shifting towards minimising the use of paper where possible.

The online renewal process provides driving licence holders with better options, such as:

- changing or uploading a new passport quality picture

- updating a new or changed signature

- real-time access for medical doctors (on behalf of their patients) to certify if the patient is medically fit to drive

- updating personal details

- receiving the driving licence card at an alternative mailing address to the one listed on the ID Card

- requesting an urgent card delivery service whilst choosing from where to collect or where to have it delivered

Following the marked increase in the public’s uptake of this system and the positive feedback received thereafter, new and further initiatives to shift the user towards convenient online use are currently being undertaken and shall soon be proposed in a bid to further boost the Authority’s commitment to provide

high quality services.

Words: Peter Paul Barbara

Earlier this year, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Dr Aaron Farrugia inaugurated another footbridge from a series of similar infrastructures which are being built at key and strategic sections of the road network.

These footbridges ensure that pedestrians and cyclists alike are able to connect from one side of a main road to another in the safest way possible. The latest of such pedestrian overpasses, with a cost of approximately €3.5 million, is built above Triq It-Tiġrija in Marsa.

The Marsa-Qormi pedestrian footbridge lies over the busy Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass and links the residential area of Marsa to the centre of Qormi through Sqaq ilĠerrejja. This is the second footbridge being installed around Qormi after another footbridge was built to connect Mrieħel with this town.

During its inauguration, Minister Farrugia said that

building this kind of infrastructure shows that safety is being given a priority by this government. He also said that these types of bridges also contribute towards a modal shift to other forms of transport, including cycling and walking combined with public transport, due to the fact that these are now making both the road infrastructure as well as these modes themselves safer.

In the past, the area in question was prone to a number of traffic accidents, as pedestrians would try to cross the busy five-lane bypass from Marsa to Qormi and vice versa, one of the main reasons being connectivity to the Marsa Park and Ride facility and bus terminus.

The pedestrian bridge has a span of 30m and is supported by a tied-arch steel structure. It is also supported by three towers, which give access to the bridge itself using elevators and a stairwell. For safety reasons, the facility is well lit and surveillance cameras have been installed.

“Crossing the Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass is a popular route for pedestrians, as it leads from the centre of Marsa towards key locations, such as the Marsa Park and Ride bus terminus,” Infrastructure Malta architect Raphael Abdilla said, “which pedestrians often sought to reach by crossing five lanes of traffic.”

Malta’s aircraft registry to exceed 800 aircraft by 2023

Addressing the Malta Aviation Conference & EXPO (MACE) 2022, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital projects, Dr Aaron Farrugia said that Malta’s aviation industry is experiencing “rapid growth and attracting a lot of interest”. Minister Farrugia said that the Maltese Aviation Register is expected to increase to over 800 aircraft by next year.

MACE is an international aviation conference held in Malta every year and is attended by delegates from all over the world. The conference’s theme for this year was ‘Gaining Altitude’. Minister Farrugia said that as an island state on the periphery of the European continent, Malta depends on air transport and hence, Malta needs to defend its interests against the onesize-fits-all attitude that some are pushing within the EU. Minister Farrugia invited all those concerned to work together in order to arrive to a greener and cleaner aviation sector that is sustainable both environmentally and economically for Malta.

“We are working to ensure that aviation is recognised as a main player in our economy and is given the recognition it truly deserves. Jobs become careers increasing the talent pool, and transfer of knowledge prepares the island for a new wave of young workers who are attracted to the aviation cluster.”

Transport Malta CEO Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi, who also addressed the conference opening, said that the Authority’s vision for the aviation sector is to continue to attract more companies to Malta in order to encourage growth, although this needs to be sustainable.

Brigadier Curmi said that the Authority needs to continue to invest in its people and in new technology to meet the demands of the future as well as to synchronise the work and objectives with global developments.

This year, the conference hosted over 30 local and international speakers, and was made possible by the support of its main partner, Transport Malta, and all the other partners that continue to show their support and consider MACE as a well needed forum for the industry.

Aiming to advance the sustainability objectives within the aviation industry, MACE organisers have committed themselves to offset the event’s carbon footprint. Working with Azzera, an innovative provider of carbon offsetting and compliance solutions, MACE offset 100% of emissions generated by this year’s event. The Founding Partners of MACE are Novargo, The Concept Stadium, and DC Aviation Group.

Wizz Air Malta begins Operations with its First Flight to Malta after Getting its European certification

The Malta-based subsidiary of Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air, Wizz Air Malta carried out its first flight from Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport on Wednesday 28th September 2022. During a ceremony which took place on Monday 26th September, where the company was given its Operating Licence (OL) by the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD) and the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), it was announced that Wizz Air Malta would employ crew members from Albania, Austria, Italy and Romania, while its management would be based locally and its aircraft would be registered in Malta.

Mr Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, a former top aviation regulator in Ireland, will lead the company, starting as its first managing director. This development follows the announcement made earlier in May, which followed in the path of a number of other Wizz Air subsidiary airlines, such as Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Wizz Air UK.

The certificate awarding ceremony was also attended by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Dr Aaron Farrugia and the CEO of Transport Malta Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi. Minister Aaron Farrugia said that it is an honour that Wizz Air has selected Malta for this new airline and, “it is thanks to the continued collaboration between EASA, CAD, and Wizz Air that today’s

announcement is possible. We are expecting Wizz Air Malta to register a substantial number of aircraft in our country, further increasing our already strong 9H fleet.”

The Minister reiterated that Malta will continue to support investors who choose Malta as their jurisdiction for the benefit of this very important industry, and ultimately to further strengthen Malta’s economy.

On his part, Transport Malta CEO Jeffrey Curmi highlighted the employment benefits that the new airline would bring with it, saying Wizz Air Malta would be establishing a business centre on the island.

Capt. Charles Pace, Director General of the Civil Aviation Directorate within Transport Malta, said “we are proud that Malta has once again been selected as a Principal Place of Business by another key industry stakeholder. On behalf of the Civil Aviation Directorate, I would like to thank all those who collaborated to issue the AOC and AOL on time. I look forward to seeing the company grow in the coming months with the addition of a substantial number of new aircraft.”

Wizz Air president Robert Carey said that the company’s new airline would allow it to “further diversify our operations and drive growth.” He added

that “Malta’s economic and regulatory regime will enable Wizz Air to strengthen its position in the global market. We would like to thank EASA and the Maltese CAA for their support and expertise, and we look forward to working with both regulators and the Maltese government over the coming years.”

Wizz Air is currently operating multiple AOCs within its business, including Wizz Air UK and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, alongside Wizz Air Hungary. The establishment of Wizz Air Malta will allow the group to further diversify its operations, providing enhanced flexibility and the potential for significant expansion.

Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings Europe transfers its registration to Malta

Airline granted Air Operator’s Certificate by Transport Malta

Eurowings Europe, a subsidiary of Germany’s Lufthansa airline, has transferred its registration to Malta and has been granted the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and the Air Operator License (AOL) by the Civil Aviation Directorate within Transport Malta. The company was previously registered in Austria.

The new company, Eurowings Europe Limited, was established in May and has relocated its headquarters from Austria to St Julian’s in Malta. While the company headquarters team will be located in Malta, the Airbus aircraft and crews will continue to be employed at their previous bases across Europe and operate from there.

During the certificate award ceremony, Eurowings Europe Managing Director Stefan Beveridge was reported saying that “we aspire to become Europe’s number one value airline”. The company currently has 20 aircraft making up its fleet, and these are being registered under the Maltese aviation register 9-H. Mr Beveridge said that Malta has a unique and undisputed reputation as a jurisdiction of choice

in the aviation industry, added to the fact that its economic and regulatory framework will enable the company to enter new markets as an attractive value airline and to compete successfully in the airline’s highly competitive environment.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia, who attended the event, welcomed the airline and promised agility and accessibility from the Maltese register, which, he observed, is close to having 800 aircraft. Hon Farrugia said that the addition of Eurowings to the Maltese Aviation Register was part of the expected growth in the local aviation industry in the near future and will in turn leave a significant impact on Malta’s economy, including job creation in the aviation sector.

Transport Malta contributes towards the 43rd Edition of Rolex Middle Sea Race

- 2022

Words – Peter Paul Barbara

Transport Malta has once again contributed towards the start of this year’s edition of the Malta Rolex Middle Sea Race through the Ports & Yachting Directorate as well as the Maritime Enforcement Department (MED) within the Enforcement Directorate of Transport Malta. The port was closed for all shipping throughout the start of the race, which was coordinated by Capt. Fritz Farrugia, Deputy Harbour Master and Deputy Chief Officer of the Ports & Yachting Directorate, while MED Senior Enforcement Officer and Manager Mr Rudolph Muscat was responsible for Transport Malta’s MED operations.

This year’s edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race saw the participation of the biggest fleet ever, with a global fleet of 118 yachts hailing from 24 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, as well as most of Europe.

Five maxi multihulls and two maxi monohulls led the charge around the 606 nautical mile course

of this prestigious offshore race, albeit at a more gentlemanly pace than last year. The prevailing forecast lived up to its expectations with a light wind race, in complete contrast to the wind conditions of 2021. In fact, the start was a very lukewarm one, and by the second race, the course had to be directed to sail right under Fort Ricasoli as soon as the boats made their exit from the Grand Harbour. The sudden

change of the route had to constrain TM MED officers to clear that stretch of sea from onlooking boats.

Up to the Messina Strait, the situation looked extremely challenging, but a decent breeze prevailed as the boats went out of the Strait and headed to Stromboli. 38 boats officially retired from the race in the middle of the course, mostly due to the continuing lack of wind across the course area.

Italy’s entry, Mana, took the Multihull Line Honours in this edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race after crossing the finish line at the Marsamxett Harbour in the early hours of Tuesday.

Farr 100 Leopard 3 (NED), with Joost Schultz at the helm, crossed the finish line of the Race later on Tuesday 25th October to take Monohull Line Honours in an elapsed time of 70 hours 34 minutes 29 seconds.