Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1487760
5 INTERVIEW 8.12.2022 maritime industry's time of reckoning our operations for years, and have al- ready come up with different propos- als on the matter. Evidently, trucks and containers have a big impact on morning traffic and pollution. Most of today's businesses rely on shift work and I see no reason why deliveries of cargoes cannot be carried out during silent hours as opposed to the rush hours were people are rushing to work and kids on their way to school. I am confident that cutting 25 to 50% deliv- ery truck traffic would have a substan- tial impact on traffic congestion on our roads. We are willing to lend our as- sistance to government to implement such measures. What's your future prognosis for this industry on our shores? Malta definitely needs to up its game to enhance its competitiveness in or- der to attract further maritime activi- ty to its shores. A study carried out by the Malta Maritime Forum in the past months has found that the industry is responsible for around 12% of Mal- tese GDP – that's a staggering impact in consideration that it does not get the fiscal and other support that oth- er emergent industries are receiving. Entities such as shipyard companies, port service operators and shipping agencies contribute significantly to growth and job creation while getting few incentives. e list of stakeholders within the industry is endless – cargo terminals such as Malta Freeport and Valletta Gateway Terminals (Vallet- ta Cruise Port), Shipyards (Palumbo), stevedores, pilots, tugboats, survey- ors, insurance, supply boats, law firms and company services providers. is endless list explains why the maritime industry has a higher economic multi- ple effect than that generated by other industries. us, by supporting this in- dustry Malta's economy stands to gain. Maintaining the status quo will bare- ly guarantee survival, let alone create new avenues for growth. And the op- portunities are there! Despite the huge impact of the pandemic and now war, studies still anticipate further growth in this market. How is Focal Maritime adapting to the new realities? As our business portfolio grows, we have focused our efforts to ensure bet- ter and stronger governance. Our firm is growing into a group of companies providing a wide-range of services within the logistics industry to offer clients a one stop shop immaterial whether the transport is by sea, air or road and whether the client requires warehousing or just-in time delivery. In this context, we felt that it was im- perative to restructure the group into separate, self-sustaining companies, each with its mission and specific fo- cus – whether in logistics, transport, maritime agency and consultancy. We are also strongly embracing the digital transition with a significant in- vestment in modern, professional and digital tools and solutions to enhance our B2C and B2B relationships, while training our personnel to adapt to such developments. We have also looked at matters relat- ed to business continuity. Although we are proud of our family roots and values on which this company is founded, we wanted to create an environment led by a professional management team. is gives peace of mind to the clients that trust us with their merchandise as well as to our employees that can feel that they are working within a for- ward-looking firm. What's next in the pipeline for your organisation? To reinforce and be able to execute these significant changes, we have drawn up a strategy plan based on an extensive SWOT analysis and an as- sessment of the local and international business and economic environment. is will determine specifically tar- geted investment to extend the reach of the company and offer a compre- hensive service through any possible means, by air, sea or land, while also looking at internationalising our op- erations. We have also looked at the qualities and talents of our staff to see how these can be further developed in our quest towards an ethical and sus- tainable growth which renders value added to our clients, a career develop- ment environment to our employees and of course a profit to sustain the de- velopment of the company. In such a difficult environment, in the case of the Maltese maritime industry there is need for stronger lines of communication with authorities and the politicians that are able to push forward Malta's voice in Europe