Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/800760
44 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 MARCH 2017 Onorato Armatori Group con- tinues to consolidate its opera- tions by introducing a brand new service, starting from the end of March which will widen the service offer on routes from and to Sicily for all trailer operators: a new link (in addition to the existing) between Catania and Malta with 4 weekly departures from each port and timings set to cater for the market require- ments, particularly the fresh foods sector. The ship, with a capacity of 1,500 linear meters, will be carrying both trailers and any type of accompanied vehi- cles. The new schedule will allow trailer operators to further im- prove their service performance in terms of transit and delivery times. Additionally, in line with its strategy to strengthen its net- work, Onorato Armatori will in- troduce an additional Vessel to complement other Vessels on the Genova-Livorno-Catania route. Specifically, a Ro-Ro Vessel with a capacity of 3,500 linear meters and 27 knots speed resulting in a much more efficient service in line with market requirements. "We must thank all our clients for their support of our expan- sion plan," Tirrenia's Cargo Commercial Director, Pierre Canu, said. "Thanks to them we are sure that in the short term we will succeed in the completion of our service offer with the aim of giving them the best possible service". The strategy of the Group in investing heavily on the routes is already reaping excellent results. In 2017, both Moby Lines and Tirrenia continued to register a strong growth. In February, the trend was very positive with a 10% increase of the cargo traffic, doubled as compared to previ- ous month. Taking Sicily on its own, the increase in the first two months of 2017 has been of 24%. Vassallo Group celebrates International Women's Day Vassallo Group has kept a long-standing tradition of marking International Women's Day with a luxurious lunch for which over 100 women – directors, managers and em- ployees from across the group – are invited. This year the event was held on 8 March at the Chamber of Commerce. Helena Dalli, Minister of Social Dialogue, Consumer Af- fairs and Civil Liberties and Renee Laiviera, Commissioner of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) were invited as special guests. CareMalta's CEO Mrs Natalie Briffa Far- rugia's delivered a strong message about women's rights and equality which have come a long way in only a few decades. She shared her journey through the tough chal- lenge she undertook to complete the Malta Full Marathon to support persons with dis- ability while also practicing HILA's Believe Achieve motto. She also launched a Care- Malta campaign to enrol 25 individuals ready to run the half-marathon next year to commemorate CareMalta's 25th Anniver- sary. Nazzareno Vassallo proudly stated that 60% of the workforce are women and that 33% of the Group's directors are women too. He said that women are now involved in all levels within the group management struc- tures including shareholders and directors, managers, assistant managers and supervi- sors. A short video clip showing the different types of work performed by women working with companies within the group was shown to the guests present for this occasion. Minister Helena Dalli congratulated Briffa Farrugia for her courage and determination in completing such a tough challenge and added that she is a great inspiration to all including herself. She also spoke about Vas- sallo Group's promotion of women's rights to equality. Minister Dalli also applauded the group for its understanding and support of a greater balance of work and family life for their employees and for achieving the Equality Mark throughout 2016. All women were presented with a special gift as a token of appreciation. The lunch- eon was prepared by CaterEssence, a leading Catering company which forms part of the group. Minister and MGA Chairman visit NetRefer Emmanuel Mallia, Minister for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime and Services Economy visited the NetRefer offices. Joseph Cuschieri, Chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority ac- companied the minister on the visit. Mallia and Cuschieri were given a tour of the NetRefer head office while meeting numerous mem- bers of staff. They were given a demonstration of the attributes behind the performance market- ing platform which NetRefer pro- vides to global iGaming providers while also explaining some of Ne- tRefer's new products, including; PMI, NetRefer's new self-service intelligence and analytics prod- uct; the NetRefer Academy and other new products and services NetRefer have launched this year. Both Mallia and Cuschieri were pleasantly surprised with the level of innovation at NetRefer. The minister spoke about the impor- tance of having more companies who have a passion for innova- tion and that the government acts as an enabler of making Malta an innovation hub for both start-ups and established companies. The minister was delighted to see many Maltese among NetRe- fer's staff and senior management, while having a diverse team of members from the EU and across the world to compliment the hu- man resources required to keep an innovative business growing. At the end of the visit, Mal- lia and Cuschieri sat down for a meeting with NetRefer's senior management team. They dis- cussed matters consisting of Malta's digital economy, its infra- structure, its legislation and most importantly the availability of hu- man resources. Relating to the HR aspect, NetRefer's initiative with the Academy was highlighted as a step in the right direction to have more people trained in advanced performance marketing. Malta has a lot of upcoming opportunities and challenges coming from iGaming, Fintech, Bitcoin, Brexit, 5G and many oth- ers. Initiatives brought forward by entities like the Malta Gaming Authority, the Malta Communi- cations Authority, and the impor- tance of co-ordination with the Ministry of Education were also highlighted. Johan Zammit, Director - Strate- gic Projects at NetRefer explained that "It is great to hear that the Minister for the Digital Economy shares our vision on the impor- tance of innovation and having academies that provide tuition on skills that are critical for a dynam- ic digital economy." Both Mallia, Cuschieri, NetRe- fer's senior management and staff all felt it was a productive visit. For further information about NetRefer solutions kindly contact: Business Development: +35627673337 or sales@netrefer.com Dedicated vessel to provide new sea freight link between Malta and Sicily