Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said today that the government's concession of Outer Coal Wharf in Grand Harbour to a yacht repair company was an opportunity not to be missed.
He told Parliament in reply to a parliamentary question that he had been kept fully involved in initial discussions on a contract deemed by Transport Malta to be an “immediate, realisable opportunity not to be missed”.
The contract was on the allocation of Coal Wharf outer quay for the development by, and exclusive use of a private company involved in the yacht and superyacht industry.
Mr Mizzi said the operator had in hand a contract for the repair of superyachts with “substantial” investment, which would have been lost if the concession had not been given.
The minister told Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina that he personally had no objection in principle to the publication of the contract, but legal advice was being sought on whether this should be done in view of commercially-sensitive information.
The board of Transport Malta had been made privy to all the details of the proposed contract in a meeting on May 9. The board had approved the contract.
Mr Mizzi reminded Mr Bezzina that the board principally discussed matters of policy. The contract fell within the relevant parameters of Transport Malta and the matter was purely of an executive nature vested in the responsibilities of the company’s management.
He said it was accepted practice, even under the previous administration, for such concessions to be given without calls for tenders. He had no information that the government or Transport Malta had received any requests for the development or long-term use of the quay for commercial activities related to yacht repair.
The contracted operator formed part of a group of companies which had been involved in the yacht and superyacht industry for the past 20 years and had undertaken several works and projects related to the industry.