Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/731331
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2016 8 News JURGEN BALZAN TRANSPORT Malta has renewed the concession for a floating dock in the Grand Harbour which was issued without a call for tenders or expressions of interest in 2014. However, while claiming that the conditions set in the initial 12-month concession have been met, the authority and operator Melita Marine both failed to pro- vide proof of this. In April 2014, TM awarded the 12-month contract to entrepre- neur Pierre Balzan's company, set up a month before. Melita Marine was bound by a series of long-term conditions, including a €4 million investment in infrastructure, equipment and upgrading of the area, the employ- ment of 10 new employees in the first year and the engagement of four apprentices for three consec- utive years. TM chairman James Piscopo had told MaltaToday that Melita Marine was directly awarded the permit "because this was an im- mediate, realisable opportunity that ought not to be missed" and claimed the operation was expect- ed to generate a turnover in the re- gion of €10 million annually. Piscopo had said that Melita Ma- rine would be using the Outer Coal Wharf for the berthing and opera- tion of a floating dock and for the provision of repair services on su- peryachts and marine vessels. Asked whether these conditions have been met, Pierre Balzan said "the agreement entered into with the competent authorities has been, and is being, achieved in full. The company's accounts and taxes are paid annually, as well as the number of Maltese workforce em- TRANSPORT Malta has issued a tender to gather geological data on the sub-surface of the Malta-Gozo Channel, as studies on the possible development of a tunnel connect- ing the two islands intensify. The winning contractor will con- duct geotechnical investigations at various locations on land and in the channel, with drilling expected to reach approximately 200m be- low seabed level in some areas. The extracted core samples will aid in establishing the geological formations of the area, which will eventually determine the feasibil- ity of constructing a tunnel. Transport Malta said that the investigations forming part of this tender are part of wider studies being commissioned in order to gather information on the sub- surface conditions of the proposed tunnel route between Malta and Gozo and ultimately establish a geological model of the area un- der investigation. "The model will in turn form the basis for the Conceptual Design of the tunnel," Transport Malta said. The transport watchdog said that the government has embarked on a long-term strategy to address problems Gozitan commuters face Transport Malta renews direct order but remains evasive over contractual obligations Gozo tunnel tender for geological Melita Marine was bound by a series of long-term conditions, including a €4 million investment in infrastructure, equipment and upgrading of the area, the employment of 10 new employees in the first year and the engagement of four apprentices for three consecutive years