Government misses its own Gozo ferry tender deadline
The MV Nikolaos costs taxpayers more than €10,000 every single day, excluding fuel
The government has failed to issue a tender for a new Gozo Channel ferry, despite pledging to do so by summer.
In April, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri told parliament that he had asked the government-owned company that operates the ferry, Gozo Channel, to prepare a call for tender by the middle of the year.
Currently, three of the four ferries operating between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr are owned by the government, while the fourth, the Greek-owned MV Nikolaos, has been on lease since 2019. That ship was initially meant to serve as a short-term solution until a new vessel could be commissioned.
The government eventually did issue a tender for the lease or operation of a fourth ferry between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr in 2022, but it failed to attract any bidders.
Prime Minister Robert Abela announced government plans to issue a new tender for a fourth ferry last October.
Asked why the government has not issued a tender by the deadline it set for itself, a Gozo Ministry spokesperson said the purchase of a fourth ferry “requires careful planning”.
The spokesperson added that “high-level” discussions involving a number of ministries are ongoing.
'Dedicated task force will soon be set up'
Those talks also touch on the potential upgrade of Mġarr Harbour, the spokesperson said, adding that a “dedicated task force will soon be set up to develop a strategic framework for the optimisation and future use of Mġarr Harbour”.
Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri has previously said the task force will draw up proposals for the expansion of the harbour and alternative roads between Mgarr and Għajnsielem.
Nationalist Party general election candidate Luke Said pointed out that the MV Nikolaos is costing taxpayers significant money.
"What was supposed to be a short-term fix has turned into a long-term embarrassment,” he said.
“The MV Nikolaos costs taxpayers more than €10,000 every single day, excluding fuel. Multiply that by six years, 365 days a year, and Malta has spent roughly €21.9 million just keeping this temporary ferry in operation.”
The Greek-owned ship regularly attracts complaints.
When PN leader Alex Borg touched on the subject at a party event in Gozo earlier this month, the mere mention of the Nikolaos incited boos from the crowd.