A €700,000 project to improve Marsalforn's Menqa for local fishermen was inaugurated this afternoon.
The project involved the rebuilding of the Menqa wall to better shelter fishing boats, the reconstruction of a slipway, the conservation of existing buildings converted into office space, the repair of a pier and the replacement of a winch with a more modern, safer one.
Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, EU Funds Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg and Fisheries Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes were all in attendance.
Approximately €550,000 of the €728,861.38 total cost came from the 2007-2013 European Fisheries Fund, said Dr Borg. Rebuilding the Menqa wall cost more than half - 62 per cent - of the total project cost. Navigation lights installed as part of the wall will offer protection to local fishermen.
The Menqa project forms part of a larger investment that includes projects such as a new fish market, various piers and other infrastructure, said Dr Galdes.