Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541179
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION Malta strengthens international trade and employment MALTA continues to reinforce its status as one of the most dynamically developing centers for international business, trade, and employment in Europe. The island is home to more than 73,500 registered companies, and its diverse economic structure makes Malta a key hub for global trade, logistics, and financial opera- tions, connecting Europe, North Afri- ca, and the Middle East. According to HitHorizons, the ten largest companies by turnover gen- erate a combined annual revenue of over €16.25 billion, accounting for approximately 15.8% of the coun- try's total corporate turnover. Among them are Alkagesta Ltd (€3.669 bil- lion, 3.58% market share), Actavis In- ternational Ltd (€1.87 billion), Kaizen Gaming International Ltd (€1.5 bil- lion), and King.com Ltd (€1.4 billion). Together, these companies highlight the diversity and resilience of Malta's economy, covering such sectors as commodity trading, pharmaceuticals, gaming technology, tourism, and en- ergy. A notable example of Malta's grow- ing influence in international trade is Alkagesta Ltd - the Malta's top reve- nue generating enterprise. The com- pany has become one of the key play- ers driving the island's reputation as a global commodities hub, building an extensive logistics and trading net- work that spans multiple continents. Alkagesta is active in physical com- modity trading, sourcing and deliver- ing commodities across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The com- pany secures storage capacities at strategic hubs and charters a fleet of vessels. As of 2025, Alkagesta has ac- cess to over 700,000 cubic meters of petroleum storage across Europe and Asia, and trades more than 7 million metric tonnes of commodity flows annually. The company handles both land-based and marine shipments. It charters liquid tankers and dry bulk vessels for seaborne transport, and uses rail, and trucking. Key trading operations include meeting supply / demand imbalances for petroleum products, fertilizer and biofuels. Alk- agesta's Geneva biofuels desk coordi- nates the trading of renewable fuels and feedstocks. This operational scale demonstrates Alkagesta's strategic importance not only to Malta's economy but also to the wider regional energy and com- modities markets. The company's ac- tivities reflect Malta's role as a bridge between Europe, Africa, and Asia — a crossroads where trade, logistics, and innovation converge. In addition, Malta demonstrates a high concentration of labor resources in individual companies. The ten larg- est employers in the country together provide jobs for over 169,000 people. The leading employers by number of employees include Palatina Insurance Limited (65,000), the Government of Malta (45,000), MSC Malta Seafarers Company Limited (10,447), and Hili Ventures Limited (10,071). These or- ganizations not only shape the labor market but also contribute to eco- nomic stability and the development of the social sector. Thus, Malta continues to strengthen its position not only as an internation- al trade and investment hub but also as a center of labor potential, offering high employment opportunities and attracting skilled professionals from around the world. Conservationist calls on prime minister EDWARD Said, a leading archi- tect and conservation expert, has written to the prime minister asking for the historical White Rocks complex to be integrated in the proposed national park. Said welcomed the govern- ment's decision to designate the White Rocks area as a park but is calling for the protec- tion of the modernist buildings erected in the 1960s. He urged Robert Abela, the Planning Authority, the Super- intendence of Cultural Herit- age, and other relevant bodies and NGOs to ensure the full protection and restoration of the site's modernist Officers' Married Quarters. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that White Rocks complex would be turned into a national park. During his budget reply, Ab- ela announced that the gov- ernment will be recalling any public calls for development in the area and will instead make sure the land is turned into a national park. In a letter sent to the prime minister, Said stressed that the historic barracks, built un- der the supervision of the War Office Works Directorate in the 1960s, remain structurally sound despite years of neglect and could be restored for a va- riety of purposes, including ed- ucational uses. Heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa, has endorsed the call. Said emphasised that the lat- er structures added when the site was converted into a hotel resort in the 1980s lack histor- ical or architectural value and could be removed. Said also offered to provide further research and consul- tation and expressed his will- ingness to meet with the prime minister and officials involved in the park project to help them understand the cultural and architectural significance of the complex. The barracks were internation- ally recognised in the 1960s, appear- ing twice in Archi- tectural Review, the leading global journal in archi- tecture, which described them as having "simple dignity" and in the way it blends with the surrounding landscape especial- ly when looked at from the seaward side, evoking "taste and quality." Designed by lead- ing Maltese and British archi- tects in a modernist style, the complex is widely regarded as a unique example of military architecture that combines functional design with aesthet- ic value. Back in 2014, when White Rocks was still being consid- ered for real estate develop- JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The abandoned buildings at White Rocks have been transformed into murals such as this one published in 1965