Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1123240
30.05.19 10 INTERVIEW 'One of the best shipyards Nine years aer seing up shop in Malta, Palumbo Shipyards have built a reputation for quality and efficiency. Now, Antonio Palumbo tells Business Today he has a project in mind that would see the shipyard become one of the best in the world. at project will take two or three years to implement, and until then, he won't say a word about it. But he did speak about his experience in Malta this far MASSIMO COSTA You are in the business of ship repair and refitting, as well as ship and yacht building. What is your focus in Malta? Our focus in Malta covers all naval activities – from maintenance, to refit- ting, to the transformation of all types of ships. Our shipyard is not specialised in a particular sector – we deal with all kinds of ships, from offshore vessels, to yachts, tankers, cruise liners and Ro-Ro ferries. In the nine years that we've been operating in Malta, we have done work on all these types of vessels. We're also always up to date with the requirements imposed by the Interna- tional Maritime Organisation, includ- ing those related to limiting emissions in the atmosphere. In fact, we recently secured a €6 million international con- tract to refit three Ro-Ro passenger fer- ries with fuel cleaning systems – known as scrubbers – which meet new envi- ronmental shipping rules. How is the superyacht business doing, in general? And when might we perhaps see the first Palumbo superyacht built in Malta? Contrary to popular perception, Malta is not on any central path used by su- peryachts. So attracting around 40 to 50 superyachts a year to Malta, which are over 50 to 60 metres in length to the shipyard – something we are suc- ceeding in doing – is quite a feat. We are confident these figures will continue improving and we are investing all our energy to surpass these numbers. We are working on presenting our ship- yard as a superyacht-refitting village, the only one of its type in the world. So, apart from our competence and tech- nique when it comes to what we do, we are also offering servicing and logistical facilities, ranging from hotel accommo- dation to a gym, spa and a shop selling nautical-related equipment. In terms of when a Palumbo superyacht will be built in Malta, this is something I often think about, but, unfortunately, the construction of a superyacht is a bit complicated. It requires a highly com- petent sub-contracted workforce. We have to keep in mind that we need to be competitive in such an endeavour, so I think we still need more time. But the right conditions exist, and its one of the objectives I have set my sights on. Do you still believe Malta can benefit from repairing US Navy vessels if we had a Status of Forces Agreement with the United States? A SOFA agreement would allow US Navy ships to come here for repairs, further contributing to the shipyard's growth. But this is a very sensitive sub- ject, so I am cautious not to say any- thing that can be misconstrued. When you started your operations in Malta, had you been given any indication that the process to obtain a SOFA would have been facilitated? No. Before I started operating in Mal- ta in 2010, I knew that important repair work had previously been carried out on US Navy ships on the island. So it didn't cross my mind that the country had no such agreement. I later became aware that SOFA was unfortunately, not in place. But we hope things can im- prove in this regard in the future. How many full-time Maltese employees do you have? e number of employees has de- creased slightly, because some workers have retired, while others have found less strenuous work. We have around 70 to 80 full-timers at the moment. Are your operations in Malta still fi- nancially viable, or might we see Dock 1 eventually transformed into a tourist attraction or something unrelated to ship building? I hope this won't be the case, because it would mean we didn't do our job well. Having been in this sector for 50 years, we are determined to propel our activi- ty into the future. We are buoyant about the future of this shipyard. What are the challenges your shipyard in Malta faces? Every day presents its own set of chal- lenges. However, this ensures that we are always prepared to react and to be competitive when it comes to solving any problems which come our way. In Italy you compete with other major shipyards. What can Palumbo offer to Malta which other ship builders cannot match? Compared to other shipyard locations, Malta is situated at a central point in the Mediterranean. Location is crucial for a shipyard's activities. Let us not forget that one of the docks here is 362 metres in length and is one of the best in the Mediterranean. Moreover, the country offers important facilities. Palumbo has eight shipyards around the world, including the one in Malta. e Malta shipyard is the control centre of the entire network. Are there challenges when it comes to finding workers? It is a problem. In Malta, we find it hard to find local people with the nec- essary skills, so we have to rely on for- eigners. It takes us about two months following a call for applications before we can find anyone, and this situation isn't limited solely to Palumbo – it is happening across the board. e coun- try needs to provide qualified workers more rapidly. What does the future hold for When I started my operations, I found a shipyard buried under two metres of rubbish, and it took me years to revamp it. You can see with your own eyes how it has been changed today. It is on this that I want to be judged