Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1122280
18 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 MAY 2019 COMMERCIAL MAERSK line has recently reviewed their current net- work and as a result reduced the number of ports they will call at directly with mother vessels in the Mediterra- nean with their Far East to Europe service. Maersk Line will, therefore, not be serving Malta domestic cargo with a direct call from Far East but via a feeder service link- ing the transhipment port of Port Said Egypt to Malta. There will be three weekly departures from Port Said providing this link. Joe Gerada, Group Man- aging Director at Thomas Smith, discussed how these changes will affect Malta. "The effect of this is that it adds a few days to the transit time of the service Far East to Malta. The feeder ser- vices that used to feed other Mediterranean ports from the Far East service via Malta automatically move with the service. There will be three departures per week linking Malta to Far East via Port Said. Otherwise all other ser- vices have stayed and there is no intention for any of them to change in the foreseeable future." The domestic trade has therefore not been im- pacted. Maersk Line will continue to operate direct services from North Europe, and South America besides being connected world- wide via other transhipment ports, as it has always been for many years. "These de- cisions happen from time to time in shipping and are basically a shift in opera- tions, usually with an aim of achieving better syner- gies depending on cargo mix of port of loading and port of discharge, freight rates, transit times and fuel econo- mies. There is usually no one single reason that leads to this and in our long history and experience in container shipping we have witnessed many such changes. As likely as services are shifted away they are also shifted back over business cycles," added Gerada. Maersk Line's con- tribution to Malta has been and still is that of giving worldwide container ship- ping connections to Maltese exporters and importers as well as bringing tranship- ment opportunities to Malta where Maersk has been and still is a significant player at Malta Freeport Terminal. Vessel calls in the ports also generate income to Malta through the services a ship requires during such calls." Shipping is a dynamic busi- ness involving many interna- tional variables and nobody in the business is surprised by changes in shipping pat- terns. In addition, Maersk Line is no longer looking at port-to-port business. A re- cent announcement states that as from 1st August 2019, they will be providing customers with seamless ac- cess to a wider range of lo- gistics and services offerings. This is a next step in the implementation of Maersk Line's strategy to offer end- to-end solutions to custom- ers. Thomas Smith, being already strong in logistics and ancillary services offer- ings, is excited about this news. Thomas Smith always aimed to offer a one-stop- shop for shipping clients, and is consequently looking optimistically at these de- velopments. For further information about Maersk line in Malta, one may contact Thomas Smith Shipping on contain- er@tcsmith.com, 22058135 or visit www.tcsmithship- ping.com/maersk . Maersk Line's Asia-Europe network reviewed HOSPICE Malta reported an- other successful year during its annual general meeting. During 2018, Hospice Malta continued to consolidate and expand its service provision offered to 1,185 families through individualised care plans offering practical sup- port, with an emphasis on quality care throughout. Maria Gatt, Chairperson of Hospice Malta, highlighted the considerable amount of work that needs to be carried out in relation to the development of St Michael Hospice, the first state-of-the-art complex in Malta dedicated en- tirely to providing comprehen- sive palliative care. "We believe that our patients are unique and valued individu- als and therefore we dream that through this complex we will significantly enhance the present palliative care services to patients in their own homes and commu- nities as well as through the in- troduction of the new in-patient unit". Gatt stressed on the importance of attracting the right Human Resources to enable Hospice to meet the new demands of this project itself as well as its sustain- ability. The importance of the role of the volunteers was also emphasised. Kenneth Delia, General Manag- er at Hospice Malta highlighted the various steps taken to ensure this. Apart from the provision of further training to all the profes- sional staff, through EU funded job shadowing placements in a number of Hospices across Eu- rope, a number of key perfor- mance indicators were used to ensure maximum efficiency, ef- fectiveness as well as patient sat- isfaction. At the beginning of the year, the physiotherapy gym was also fully operational and day therapy as well as Home Care patients ben- efitted from a number of physi- otherapy sessions within this fa- cility. Delia highlighted quotes by various patients as they recount their experience of Hospice ser- vices. "Their heart is in the right place" is a phrase which truly reflects the importance of our services. It emphasises our com- mitment towards providing a service of the highest quality to our patients". Founded in 1989, Hospice Mal- ta's primary role is to provide and promote palliative care services to patients suffering from cancer, motor-neuron disease, end-of- life cardiac, respiratory, renal and liver diseases. For more information, visit htt- ps://hospicemalta.org/ Hospice Malta consolidates and expands its services BURGER King Malta has just launched self-order- ing kiosks across a num- ber of its outlets, in line with the brand's strategy to remain a leader within the quick service restau- rant industry in Malta. One can experience the kiosks in their restaurants at Mosta, Qormi, Valletta, Sliema and Malta Interna- tional Airport. The self-ordering kiosks allow customers to order exactly what they would like without having the added pressure of being in a queue, making the experience of dining in Burger King restaurants even more enjoyable. One has the option to add to or remove anything from their meal, with the ki- osks prompting in case anything has been for- gotten to be added to the meal, ensuring that the fi- nal meal is exactly as you would like it. Together with the self- ordering kiosks all Burg- er King stores have also moved to a fusion system which separates the queues between ordering and col- lection making the experi- ence much more efficient and resulting in a quicker service for customers. Kurt Micallef, Business Manager at Food Chain Limited said, "We are very excited about the launch of these kiosks and we look forward to more innova- tive solutions in the future as we aim to continue be- ing Malta's leading quick service restaurant brand." The Burger King fran- chise is operated in Malta by Food Chain Limited, a member of the Farsons Group. Burger King Malta launches self-ordering kiosks