Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1399957
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 AUGUST 2021 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA THE mayor of the Sicilian port town of Augusta, Giuseppe Di Mare, has questioned the role of the region's port authority AD- SP, after stopping the departure of the new Maltese ferry service Ponte over a rival bid by com- petitor Virtù Ferries. The Ponte ferry service con- necting Valletta to Augusta, near Catania, was stopped at the eleventh hour over a bid by Virtù, which connects Pozzallo to Valletta, to also obtain a de- parture slot from the port. But Augusta mayor Di Mare and councillor Tania Patania have complained that the port authority ADSP was prevent- ing Augusta from having its own maritime connection to Maltese tourism. "It is legitimate for us to ques- tion the role of the ADSP and its ability to assess such private initiatives that benefit us col- lectively... this cavalier behav- iour truly risks the economic revival of eastern Sicily and Augusta." The councillors called on the ADSP to employ a more objec- tive and standardised conces- sion system that allows ferry services to bring over more tourism to Augusta. Ponte Ferries this week said it was forced to delay the launch of its fast ferry service to Sic- ily due to a legal challenge by Virtù Ferries, which objected to the company's use of the Au- gusta Port and is trying to get its own concession from the port authorities of Augusta and Catania. Ponte Ferries said the objec- tor had submitted a contesta- tion at the "eleventh hour" over the use of the berthing area in Augusta that Ponte had applied for last November. But the claim was denied by Virtù Ferries. "Ponte Ferries have once again had to delay their ferry service, no doubt causing their clients much angst. This time they are seek- ing to conceal from their re- sponsibility by seeking to shift the blame on Virtù Ferries, alleging that we have made a last-minute legal challenge. Virtù Ferries made no such, or indeed any other, challenge," the company said in a state- ment. Virtù said it has applied for berthing facilities at the Port of Augusta and the respective applications are yet to be ap- proved. "Mindful of time required and unlike our competitors we refrained from selling tickets for this route, and we will not sell until such time as our per- mit is approved. In contrast, our competitors have, since 23 June, been selling tickets to the public in the knowledge that they were not in a position to guarantee the service they were selling," Virtù said. Augusta mayor complains of port authority's inefficiency in Ponte-Virtù debacle