Legal hurdle cleared for new fast ferry service linking Sliema to Gozo

The launch of a long-delayed public fast ferry service linking Sliema, Bugibba and Gozo is now expected to advance following the abrupt withdrawal of a legal challenge that had stalled the project for months.

Supreme Travel, a Żejtun-based transport operator known as ta’ Ċanċu, has dropped its objection before the Public Contracts Review Board (PCRB), clearing the way for Transport Malta to resume evaluation of bids for the service.

The withdrawal ends nearly a year of uncertainty surrounding a government-promoted project touted as a partial remedy to Malta’s worsening traffic congestion.

The ferry service was first announced last summer by Transport Minister Chris Bonett, who said it would begin operating in August 2025.

Shortly after the call for proposals was issued, Supreme Travel filed a legal challenge, alleging that the tender was discriminatory and structured to favour certain operators. The objection effectively froze the adjudication process.

The company has offered no explanation for its sudden change of course.

Asked for comment by The Shift, a Supreme Travel spokesperson said the company did not wish to make any public statements.

The episode echoes an earlier dispute.

In 2020, Supreme Travel launched legal proceedings against Transport Malta regarding an extension of the Grand Harbour passenger transport concession, which connects Valletta, Sliema, and the Three Cities. That case was withdrawn two years later, also without explanation.

Maritime industry sources told The Shift that while legal challenges are a legitimate means of protecting commercial interests, repeated objections that are later abandoned risk delaying the rollout of publicly subsidised services.

“There is a difference between defending competition and blocking public transport projects,” said one industry source. “Fast ferry operations require significant capital investment, and it may be that Supreme concluded it was not in a position to commit the necessary resources.”

Public fast ferry services in Malta and Gozo operate under public service obligation arrangements and rely heavily on taxpayer subsidies.

The original tender had already attracted controversy.

Supreme Travel argued that the request for proposals, published on 2 July, allowed insufficient time for bids to be submitted and failed to comply with EU procurement rules. The company claimed the technical and financial criteria were disproportionate and appeared tailored for operators already providing subsidised fast ferry services.

In a preliminary response to the PCRB, the transport ministry conceded that the timetable for submissions did not strictly follow standard procurement timelines, citing “pressing public interest” in launching the service swiftly. It rejected claims of favouritism.