Unclaimed trailers and vehicles parked illegally or abandoned at Corradino industrial estate and Ras Ħanżir Hill are finally set to be removed and disposed of by Transport Malta.
TM has issued a notice informing owners they have until August 22 to remove their vehicles. Failure to do so will result in the vehicles being disposed of at an end-of-life treatment facility with no possibility of recourse.
Joseph Bugeja, chairperson of the Association of Tractor and Trailer Operators (ATTO), welcomed the news.
“The abandoned trailers at Corradino were adding to the pressure as parking spaces for empty trailers awaiting loading were becoming increasingly limited,” he said.
Bugeja had first raised the issue in an interview with Times of Malta explaining that the area can accommodate up to 45 trailers at a time and is constantly full.
He pointed out that 12 trailers had been abandoned on the site for months, with no action taken to clear them.
Bugeja also clarified that ATTO trailer operators do not own any of the abandoned trailers.
“All ATTO members are fully compliant with all local and international rules and regulations,” he said.
TM said that all trailers and vehicles, not just the abandoned ones, must be removed from Corradino and Ras Ħanżir with immediate effect.
“Owners are to refrain from parking and/or placing them in any other place on the road in violation of the law.”
TM said that the removal and disposal of the trailers will be carried out without further notice and that it reserves the right to take additional action against owners and other involved parties as necessary.
Bugeja had previously called for the reorganisation of the site to ensure that parking spaces for empty trailers waiting to board remain exclusive. He reiterated the need for TM to proceed with the reorganisation of Corradino Hill, including the new signage.
The area in question lies a few hundred metres from the Tony Bezzina Stadium and stadium-goers drive and park their vehicles along the road lined up with trailers.
It remains unclear whether the eviction order is connected to the opening round of fixtures of the newly-established 360Sports Malta Premier football league, which will be held at Corradino over this coming weekend.
The stadium will also host matches on August 25, just three days after the eviction order takes effect.
Bugeja had previously acknowledged the inconvenience the parked trailers cause to stadium-goers but insisted that the authorities have not provided adequate facilities for the operators.
He disclosed that ATTO is in talks with the national authorities regarding the lack of parking facilities and adequate infrastructure for trailers.
ATTO has identified two zones behind the Kordin Grain Terminal it believes can accommodate up to 50 trailers.
“This issue is work in progress and we are confident that, with the support of the relevant ministries, ATTO will eventually achieve its legitimate objective,” he said.
Bugeja thanked Chris Bonett, the minister for transport, who he said was instrumental in initiating progress.
ATTO maintains that the harbour’s infrastructure has not developed in line with the increasing development of the import/export market, noting that approximately 1,300 trailers use the Grand Harbour facilities each week.