Mellieħa Bay boats must be moved by Sunday, Transport Malta tells mariners

Mariners are furious over a notice issued by Transport Malta (TM) ordering all boats in Mellieħa Bay to be removed by the end of Sunday, as the authority plans to reorganise the moorings.

“Owners of vessels which are currently moored within the bay of Mellieħa (as shown in the chart) are to remove their vessel from its mooring by 23.59 hours of Sunday 8th June 2025,” the notice read.

It added that any vessels left in the bay will be “removed at the expense of their owner”.

The notice was issued earlier today, but was later cancelled and reissued with details about the limits of the area.

The issue was initially flagged by mariner Peter England, who posted a picture of the notice on Facebook and called the move “totally crazy”.

Peter England's post on Facebook. Photo: Facebook

“How can TM issue a legal notice to remove boats from Għadira in the peak when all boats are going down at sea. This should have been done between October and May,” England wrote.

People took to the comments of this post to slam TM’s untimely notice.“And where shall we put the boats in the meantime?” one person asked.

“Wrong timing and lack of forward planning. Hope you can assist the boating community and let common sense prevail,” one person said while tagging Transport Minister Chris Bonett.

Others continued criticising the decision, while asking why this was not done during winter.

The chart showing where the works shall be taking place. Photo: Transport Malta

Speaking to Times of Malta, England, who currently has his boat moored at the bay, said that the area indicated on the map will affect a large majority of the boats moored at the bay.

“We’ve been hearing about these works for the past three years, but you don’t start them in June. It’s madness!” England said.

England said that when he was there last Sunday, there were around 50 boats already moored at the bay. He added that usually in the coming weeks hundreds of boats show up.

England explained that people will be forced to seek permission from other boat owners to use their mooring spots.

However, he added that in many instances, people moor their boats in other spots without asking for permission, causing an inconvenience and sometimes damage.

“People are going haywire over this. It’s going to be a mess. People will be mooring in other places without permission,” England said.

Asked whether he could take his boat back on land, England said that it costs anywhere between €100 to €200 to transport your boat each time.

Apart from this, England noted how the notice does not specify exactly where the reorganisations shall be taking place.

Questions about the notice have been sent to Transport Malta.