A Mid-Term Review

Kevin Farrugia Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer Transport Malta

We have just started the second half of 2022, a period of self-review for the Authority, a period which has seen a new Transport Minister as well as a new Chief Executive Officer to head the Authority going forward. It is indeed a period of review and consolidation, especially in areas where major successes have been registered, as the publication of the Annual Report will illustrate.

Maritime

On the forefront, we see the continued successes registered and achieved by our Merchant Shipping Directorate, which in 2022 presented us with a growth rate of approximately 2.2% in total gross tonnage over 2020, keeping our register the largest in Europe and the sixth largest in the world. We will strive to keep this momentum going, although such a feat will be a bigger challenge in light of the Ukrainian and Russian war, which has given rise to some elements of disruption worldwide coupled with international sanctions imposed on Russia by the West. This will without any doubt affect our presence in the registration of superyachts, which last year also registered a significant increase.

Ports and Yachting

When it comes to the Ports and Yachting Directorate, we expect an increase in shipping movements over and above the increases registered last year, especially in the cruise liner sector, which is slowly picking back up to pre-Covid 19 pandemic levels, during which period this industry was brought to a complete standstill.With regard to our Grand Harbour, we will also continue to clean up our port, an initiative taken by the Directorate during much of 2021, which saw the removal of abandoned vessels from the Grand Harbour, most of which were either unseaworthy or half-sunken vessels, taking up a lot of precious space around the port. Once this process comes to end, dredging works will be carried out to improve the depth of the harbour to allow access for larger vessels to berth.

After launching the 45-minute Gozo to Valletta fast ferry service, Transport Malta will engage with the two main operators which are currently operating the service in order to take stock, now that the service has been operational over a 12-month period.

Aviation

When it comes to the Civil Aviation Directorate, our aviation sector continued to register notable success on the previous six years, with the number or Air Operating Certificate holders standing at 43 at the end of 2021. Of notable importance with regard to the Aerodromes section, the certification audit cycle was successfully completed while the section also oversaw off-site operations at private helipads and yacht marinas.

As regards the Air Navigation Services Section, two audits were conducted on Malta Air Traffic Services against the regulatory requirements of (EU) 2017/373, which was applied on 2nd January 2020, while work towards the implementation of the 8.33 Frequency Regulation continued. In addition, sections continued with the coordination of various activities, such as the launch of a space research vehicle by means of a high-altitude balloon and the oversight of the Malta International Air Show.

Today, risk management is a well-established discipline in the aviation industry, and Aircraft Leasing Malta aims to promote Malta as a jurisdiction for aircraft leasing services, building on an already strong aircraft registration service.

By the end of 2021, a total of 150 aircraft had been registered, with 94 aircraft being airliners, including 27 widebody aircraft. 56 aircraft had been deregistered. It is expected that the Directorate will continue with the positive trends registered over the last few years.

Sustainable Land Transport and Mobility

2021 marked a new record in terms of the transport financial grants awarded through Transport Malta to promote sustainable mobility and the electrification of transport, a process which started back in 2014 with the issuance of financial grants and other incentives as the new electric vehicles started to slowly hit the European markets.

Over the last seven years, Malta has been promoting the electrification of land transport and the promotion of Malta as a testing hub for new technologies. Through the MNEP, TM has implemented much of the action plan (MNEAP) to assist in the proliferation of electric vehicles and related infrastructure, which has served as the foundation for technology and services to build upon. Today we are seeing the culmination of this with the deployment of a number of electric buses by Malta Public Transport as well as by the Ministry for Gozo, two initiatives being covered in this current publication.It is widely acknowledged that road transport is the major contributor to air pollution and global warming in Malta, specifically through the tailpipe emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. In light of this, Government, together with TM, will continue to promote the use of public transport to address traffic congestion and all its ill effects. In fact, during 2021, bus public transport registered significant increases in passenger trips when compared to the previous year (keeping also in mind that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, general mobility across the islands was also negatively affected)

In 2021, six financial schemes for more sustainable private means of transport were launched, with a record investment of €14 million, which were administered by the Land Transport Directorate.

To this effect, this year will see the introduction of free bus public transport for everyone, which will also be overseen by the Land Transport Directorate, while TM will continue with the studies for the possibility of a Metro System in Malta as proposed by Government-engaged consultants through the Special Projects Unit, which falls under the responsibility of my office.

Keeping our roads and seas safe

As usual, this time of year brings with it a number of activities and major events across Malta and Gozo, as expected in the summer period. After almost three years of Covid restrictions, as expected, members of the general public made sure to turn up for these events with their masses. On our part, we had to make sure as usual that on these occasions our roads remained safe and secure. In addition, with all Covid restrictions lifted, people returned to the beaches, and here we also needed to make sure that our coasts were kept safe, both for swimmers and those using pleasure craft. This meant that we had to double our efforts to keep incidents to the very minimum.

Transport Malta mobilised its Maintenance Department to make sure that our maritime infrastructure was kept clear of any obstacles on the one hand, while our Maritime Enforcement Department on the other increased their work to make sure that our swimming zones were kept safe. The upkeep of transport infrastructure is taken very seriously, and to this end we are running a feature on the important work that this department carries out on a daily basis. It is our intention that this department is enhanced and more resources are given to it in line with the ever increasing demands.

To assist in this effort, we managed to deploy

two additional state-of-the-art RHIBs, while in the meantime working to increase our assets to give our Maritime Enforcement personnel additional tools to work with. Our commitment to safety remains unhindered, and like we did in previous years, we launched our Safety at Sea Campaign, which was inaugurated by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Hon Dr Aaron Farrugia.

When it comes to land-based activities, we had a number of major events, including the return of the Isle of MTV, all of which were major crowd pullers and hence required us to make the necessary traffic management arrangements in conjunction with all stakeholders and organisers. These were back to back festivals, following the organisation of the Special Olympics in Malta, which also required our input in transport logistics, traffic management, and enforcement.

With regard to the latter, we are gradually reorganising our Land Transport Enforcement Department, as is evident with our increased presence on our roads. During the last few weeks, we have effected a number of roadblocks in crucial sections of our road network. This has been carried out with the full cooperation of other agencies, including the Police, with whom our collaboration has intensified over the last few months.

During these roadblocks, a record number of roadside checks and vehicle inspections were carried out, most notably on heavy vehicles as well as on passenger transport vehicles to make sure that they are safe as expected. Roadside emission inspection tests were also carried out, both during the day and at night, and the driving licenses of those driving these vehicles were checked to make sure that the drivers had the necessary type of driving license for the respective vehicles.

During the first two weeks of July, our officers stopped a total of 207 cars which underwent a basic or full inspection. 179 fines were issued on the grounds that some aspects of the car did not comply with the law or did not guarantee the health and safety of road users.

A record number of warnings and fines were issued over the span of a few weeks, and this work will not only continue but will be increased.

As the national transport regulator, Transport Malta has the legal obligation to enforce our transport legislation and other provisions which are mentioned in the highway code.