There is no end in sight to the battle over berthing rights in Augusta as the port authorities in Sicily consider bids from rival Maltese operators Virtu Ferries and Ponte Ferries, which both want to run a service to and from Valletta.

The first casualties were suffered when Ponte was forced to scrap the launch of its operation on August 6 and apologise to customers who had booked seats, for whom it made alternative arrangements.

It had been selling tickets at giveaway prices in June but on the eve of the launch it announced that a “last-minute legal challenge” had been filed with the Sicilian authorities by “a competing operator” which objected to its use of the Augusta port.

Virtu denied it had submitted a legal challenge and Ponte then said it had been derailed by a “contestation”.

Neither a legal challenge, nor a contestation

In reply to questions by Times of Malta, Ponte has now admitted there was neither a legal challenge nor a contestation but an application filed by Virtu Ferries to operate a similar service from the same port.

A spokesman for Virtu said its talks with the Augusta port authorities had been going on for 18 months before the company filed an application for a concession.

A spokesman for the rival company said Ponte had filed its own application at the end of last year, adding it had been accepted in May subject to any contestation or alternative proposal for the use of the berth.

Ponte said Virtu had filed its application on June 29, the last day of the time window granted by the Augusta port authorities to Ponte.

A week before this period had elapsed, however, Ponte Ferries had already started selling tickets for its new service.

A very poor attempt to try to camouflage the fact that they started selling tickets without first having a licence to do so

The spokesman for Ponte Ferries said it had anticipated that its original plans could be derailed so it actioned an alternative plan with a private operator.

“Ponte had all the guarantees to operate and everything was in place to start our service on August 6 following various meetings and discussions with all involved,” he said, adding that the last-minute application by Virtu Ferries had stalled the process.

However, the Virtu spokesman said it was not true that the company had derailed Ponte’s operation.

“This is, with all due respect, a very poor attempt to try to camouflage the fact that they started selling tickets without first having a licence to do so [and now] attempting to explain their inability to commence the service by inventing a story about a competitor presenting a legal challenge,” he said.

He pointed out that even if Virtu had not filed its concession application, Ponte would still not have been able to launch its service.

“Virtu Ferries are in possession of documentation confirming that Ponte Ferries did not and, as yet, do not have the necessary permits to operate a line service bet-ween Malta and Augusta,” he added.

“Virtu Ferries can also confirm that, less than 24 hours before the planned commencement of the Ponte service, the Italian authorities had not even received a port call and line commencement request.”

He noted that the compulsory vessels’ initial survey, in accordance with an EU directive governing passenger craft in regular service, had not yet been performed.

Ponte was unable to honour its obligations and was now “maliciously pointing fingers at Virtu Ferries”, trying to blame it for the hardship suffered by their passengers, the Virtu spokesman claimed.

He said the Augusta port authorities had invested €50,000 to survey the quay earmarked for Virtu, ensuring it would safely take the loads for the boarding and disembarking of heavy vehicles. Meetings began in July last year.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Augusta, Giuseppe Di Mare, weighed in on the debacle, saying that Ponte’s failed launch of a new service to and from Valletta “will result in obvious damage to the ports, the city of Augusta and the international image for our land”.

Di Mare and a councillor, Tania Patania, complained that the port authority was preventing Augusta from having its own maritime connection to Maltese tourism.

Ponte yesterday said that it had stopped selling tickets until it could be fully operational, “which we are confident will be within weeks”.

Between August 6 and 13, Ponte was offering clients alternative travel means, while after that clients were being offered a full refund and an additional voucher – equivalent to the cost of their booking – to travel for free over the next 12 months.