Maltese yacht traders could be sinking after berthing fees price hike

The 35th edition of the annual Rolex Middle Sea Race kicked off yesterday with a record-breaking 123 yachts setting sail from Grand Harbour. And yet, Maltese yacht traders may be facing a slightly less welcoming record in their maritime affairs.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Anthony Camilleri from Bavaria Yachts said that he had only sold one yacht over the past two years whereas he used to sell an annual average of eight, pinning his misfortune on the price hike of berthing fees that yachters have to pay Transport Malta.

Permanent berthing contracts were also switched to annual ones.

“Berthing fees have tripled and yacht traders are starting to lose heart,” Camilleri said. “Foreigners used to berth their yachts in Malta in the past but the fee rise means that it is now much cheaper for them to berth in Sicily. A month’s berth rate in Malta can get you six months in Sicily.”

However, Transport Malta statistics paint a different picture. 400 superyachts were registered under the Malta flag in 2013, 100 more than were registered in 2011.

No statistics are available for the registration of yachts smaller than 24 metres in length as Transport Malta groups them along with other ‘small ships’. The registration for small ships has remained stable over the past four years – 541 vessels in 2013 and 534 in 2010.    

“Never have there been more superyachts registered under the Malta flag,” Melita Marine owner Pierre Balzan said.  “Foreign yachts are berthing in their numbers too, even in the winter months.”

1,868 foreign yachts visited Maltese marinas in 2013, down by around 100 from the previous year. 373 of these visited between January-March and October-December.