Updated 8pm with NGO's reaction
The Malta Maritime Forum has hit out at complaints about oil rigs which have marred the Grand Harbour skyline for years, and accused the government of confusing the issue of abandoned vessels with laid-up ships.
On Wednesday, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said the rigs will be removed by the end of April, while the authorities will remove half-sunk vessels at the Marsa creek. His announcement came weeks after environment ombudsman Alan Saliba intervened in the issue, following complaints by residents and activists.
But in a reaction, the Malta Maritime Forum said the departure of two oil rigs from Malta had nothing to do with the clearing the wrecks from the harbour.
It was of "grave concern" that the minister seemed to mention the oil rigs while making reference to the clearing away of abandoned vessels. While the forum supported this initiative in the interest of navigation safety, marine life, and the upkeep of the port, the berthing of oil rigs could not, "by no stretch of the imagination", be compared to the abandonment of vessels and pieces of scrap metal.
The oil rigs were in place according to law and their lay-up had been delayed by depressed market conditions in the oil and gas industry, a situation that was further exacerbated by the pandemic.
"Complaints levelled at this legitimate economic activity as reported to the Ombudsman and the media are therefore both unjust and unfounded, so much so that the forum would have expected the pertinent authorities to neutralise it in a timely manner in the interest of Malta’s maritime industry."
The forum said it expects the authorities to defend legitimate maritime activity including at this juncture wherein the industry is facing an unfair onslaught by a minority of people posing to form part of NGOs and purporting to represent the people from the south and the Cottonera community, it said.
"Regretfully, the manner in which the government mishandled this situation is also detrimental to Malta’s attractiveness as a worthy domicile for foreign investment given that, time and again, the business operators at the centre of such baseless criticism are foreign-owned.
"Consequently, Malta's reputation as a place to invest and do business will continue to be severely damaged."
Conflict of interest - NGO Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura
Reacting, NGO Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura said that Joseph Calleja, the general manager of Palumbo Shipyard, which is where the oil-rig was being serviced, was a board member of the forum.
"This is a conflict of interest. On our end, we are Cottonera residents and NGOs with no conflict of interest, other than the wellbeing of the community.
"The claim that the oil rigs are in place according to law is contradicted by the Ombudsman, who said 'the emphyteuta can only berth ships and not oil rigs at the Palumbo Shipyard', the NGO said.