Promoting the yachting sector

I refer to the letter by John A. Consiglio entitled Marina For Xemxija (December 16).

Unfortunately, Mr Consiglio tried to paint a grim picture of a project, which, on the contrary, is intended to stimulate economic revival and improve the existing facilities within the northern areas of Malta.

It is worth noting that the choice of Xemxija as the next suitable site for a yacht marina was the result of a detailed feasibility study of several sites around the Maltese Islands, which was carried out jointly by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Malta Maritime Authority some time ago.

In addition, in the Draft North-West Local Plan issued by Mepa, Xemxija is indeed designated as a yacht marina.

In other words, what the chairman of the Malta Maritime Authority, Marc Bonello, had stated about the proposed yacht marina at Xemxija is, after all, none other than an affirmation of government policy, which aims to provide much needed berthing facilities to an ever-expanding yachting sector. There is no doubt that the Mepa development planning process for this project will take into account the benefits and impacts of such a project on the site and the local community. However, it must also be stated that it is certainly not the intention of the government to displace the fishermen from the area.

On a final note, the Malta Maritime Authority would also like to remind the public that, apart from its endeavours to provide much needed berthing space to boat and yacht owners, it has, over the past years, been instrumental in the establishment of designated swimmers' zones around the Maltese islands for the exclusive enjoyment of swimmers and it has also actively promoted safety awareness among both swimmers and boat owners through its annual Safety at Sea campaigns.