Gozo business lobby wants a Marsalforn ferry landing and a new logistics hub
The Gozo Business Chamber published its wishlist for the upcoming election on Tuesday
The Gozo Business Chamber has called for a new fast ferry landing at Marsalforn and a logistics hub near the Gozo airfield in its list of proposals for the upcoming election.
The business lobby also wants parties to return to the idea of building a permanent link between Malta and Gozo, saying this should be accompanied by a better access route leading to Mġarr from other Gozitan towns.
In a document published on Tuesday, the chamber said a new ferry landing in Marsalforn would “diversify access, improve service resilience, and reduce pressure on Mġarr by separating foot-passenger fast ferry flows from the vehicle ferry system”.
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Ultimately, it said, “Gozo requires more than one maritime access point,” with Mġarr focusing on vehicles and freight, with Marsalforn used as a “passenger-focused maritime node”.
The chamber also called for a “dedicated logistics hub” in the vicinity of a planned rural airfield.
This hub would “enable freight to be consolidated, staged and distributed away from the immediate harbour area,” reducing bottlenecks and strengthening Gozo’s supply chain, it said.
However, passengers and vehicles need better access to Mġarr in the first place, the chamber argued, calling for a second access route leading to the harbour.
This would be “preferably through a tunnel,” to mitigate the congestion currently experienced at peak ferry times.
A tunnel would “reduce land take, avoid further pressure on sensitive areas, improve journey reliability, and provide a direct strategic connection between Mġarr Harbour and the proposed logistics hub near the planned rural airfield”.
The chamber also reiterated its calls for a permanent link between Malta and Gozo to be established as a “long-term strategic option”.
It says the idea of a tunnel linking the two islands has disappeared from both parties’ electoral agenda. However, this connection remains “vital” and should remain part of the long-term plan for Gozo’s connectivity.
The chamber also called for more investment to future proof Mġarr harbour, creating better facilities for both commercial vehicles and passengers and allowing it to better handle travel disruptions.