International News: New marina planned for Malta

The four-pontoon marina will take three years to complete.

By IBI Magazine/Vanessa Macdonald. The Maltese government has started the public consultation process for the 310-berth marina planned at Sa Maison, in Marsamxett harbour.

The €20m project has been scaled back from the nine-pontoon, 470-berth marina originally envisaged by the maritime authority when it was evaluating potential marina sites in an effort to ease the demand for berths.

But the four-pontoon marina — which will require a breakwater — will take three years to complete from the time the permit is issued, a process that will involve a time-consuming environmental impact assessment.

This is little comfort to the yachting market, which is stagnating as locals have to put off buying a boat — especially sailing boats over 13m (43ft) — because they simply cannot find a berth. This has in turn frozen the second-hand market as people are unable to upgrade.

It is calculated that over 100 more berths a year are required, with a considerable number of people already on the waiting list. The government recently awarded a concession for a seasonal marina in Kalkara in the Grand Harbour, which eased the summer pressure, but 47 yachts which have since July 2009 used a former drydock near the privately-run Grand Harbour Marina in Vittoriosa will have to move out by September 20 for a boat show, after which a major rehabilitation project will get underway.