Maritime bosses bristle as Miriam Dalli ignores submissions on Grand Harbour regeneration

The government’s ongoing Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) for the regeneration of the Grand Harbour area appears to have largely ignored feedback from two maritime industry stakeholders who insisted on preserving the harbour’s current status as a hub for vital economic activity, which Malta depends on, The Shift has learned.

Split into four phases, the government’s Grand Harbour Revival Plan envisages a commercial overhaul of Marsa’s waterfront featuring hotels and retail outlets, a marina, residential and business developments, and an urban greening project for Floriana’s bastions and its surroundings, a marked departure from the harbour’s history as an economic linchpin for maritime business.

During the public consultation period preceding the ongoing PMC exercise, the Malta Maritime Forum (MMF) and the Association of Shipping Owners (ASO) had submitted detailed feedback emphasising the need to prioritise the Grand Harbour’s commercial operations, warning against utilising limited harbour space, which could instead be used to expand port infrastructure.

Despite having received this feedback from the MMF and the ASO as part of the government’s heavily marketed public consultation on the regeneration plan, the PMC document released on 23 April confirmed the government’s intent to introduce commercial and residential development in the area.

While neither the MMF nor the ASO objected completely to the possibility of regenerating key areas in the Grand Harbour as suggested in the plans announced by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, the repeated emphasis they placed on the Grand Harbour’s “core strategic function” was not reflected in the PMC document.

“…the Grand Harbour is not only a heritage waterfront or tourism destination. It is primarily and fundamentally one of Malta’s primary maritime gateways and a cornerstone of national economic sovereignty and security,” the MMF’s submission reads.

According to the MMF’s document, 30% of seaborne domestic cargo entering and leaving the country is transported in and out of Malta through vessels calling at Valletta’s port. In the event of any crisis, maritime access remains Malta’s only supply route.

“The Forum reiterates a principle it has consistently advocated: function must always take precedence over form when planning the long-term development of the Grand Harbour,” the document continues.

Similar concerns were also raised by the ASO.

In its feedback, the ASO further emphasised how the Grand Harbour’s Local Plan recognises the strategic significance of the port by prioritising infrastructural assets that would support economic activity, such as logistics and storage facilities or technical and operational offices.

The ASO, which represents shipping agents coordinating vessel calls and services, noted that Malta’s longstanding efforts to position itself as a “one-stop-shop service hub” would be undermined if parts of the harbour were to be apportioned for development which is not directly related to the maritime industry.

This would also create “knock-on effects” that would affect the rest of the chain of services, the ASO suggests. The Association further described how European port cities such as Barcelona and Rotterdam, which designated specific port zones as off-limits for urban development, should have served as ideal models for this regeneration project.

Both organisations called for detailed assessments on how the plans would impact maritime routes as well the port’s infrastructure as well as policy safeguards that would prevent urban encroachment from affecting port operations.

While the PMC is largely a non-committal exercise launched by the government to obtain a better understanding of whether the market can submit an offer that matches its plans, it appears that stakeholder feedback from the maritime industry has so far fallen on deaf ears.