Dock-side affairs

Will everybody stop blaming Malta Drydocks employees for losing the Lm1 million contract? The ship in question has been on stem since August last year and that company had no intention of doing repair works at Malta Drydocks. Yet, at one stage it was even being rumoured that the ship was already at the tank cleaning farm in Ricasoli!

The recent unofficial stopping had nothing to do with losing the contract.

Malta Drydocks employees demonstrated what they are able to do on several occasions with serious companies congratulating them as a result. And what about the US which has spoken so highly of Malta Drydocks with regard to the quality of its work and its ability to deliver on time despite the lack of sophisticated equipment other shipyards have! The taxpayer knows that. All of Malta knows that.

What writers do not mention is that the government is paying large sums of money to experts without any results. These so-called experts enjoy more than good salaries, luxury cars, villas and air tickets, all for free, while workers at the docks are all, as we say, 99 (idle).

May I give all those outside Malta Drydocks some frank advice? If you have never been to Malta Drydocks do not talk or write about it!