Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 at 9:13 am by Andre Camilleri
In the last nine years, the Maltese Registry has almost doubled its registered tonnage, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg announced during a press conference at the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa.
Minister Ian Borg mentioned that in 2012 there were just over 45 million tonnes registered and by the end of 2020 they had risen to over 86 million tonnes. He said that by the end of 2021, the number of vessels registered under the Merchant Shipping Act was almost 9,300 vessels, amounting to more than 86.1 million in tonnage. This represents an increase of 2.2% over December 2020.
“From this activity alone, Transport Malta generated €24 million over the past year. This means an increase of more than 82% over 2012 which also means that just over 6% of the world’s merchant ship fleet is registered under the Maltese flag. We are seeing that we continue to move this sector forward not only in terms of the register, which to date our country has achieved very positive results but also in terms of technology. We firmly believe in the potential of technology and the opportunities it creates that continue to lead our country to the top and remain leaders in various maritime fields. The maritime sector remains an integral part of the Maltese economy and that is why the government has chosen to adopt and implement various measures to continue generating a substantial amount of ancillary investment, substantial foreign currency income, as well as new jobs. The government, especially my ministry, is committed to continuing building this successful link for the common good of the Maltese and Gozitan people”.
The minister announced that Malta will be benefiting from an investment of €6.5 million to implement a digital system in the field of maritime affairs. He said that a day like today continues to show that our country has an international reputation as a register of quality, reputation, and confidence.
The Merchant Shipping Directorate has already implemented the first digital project which will be digitising the application process of more than 100,000 seafarers by electronic means which will result in greater efficiency in the processing of these applications.
Transport Malta is also regulating the maritime courses organised by the maritime institutes both in Malta and abroad where for the first time in recent months the authority, in dialogue with industry, has developed and approved a number of courses for crews working on luxury yachts.
As for superyachts, by the end of 2021, Malta had almost a thousand yachts under the Maltese flag, an increase of 16% over December 2020.
The Maltese flag has maintained its position as the largest merchant register in Europe and the sixth largest in the world. The register qualified with the top 20 in the whitelist of the Paris MOU where our country was ranked 17th.
