Marinas provide berthing for only 10% of all boats registered in Malta

There are 2,422 berths across Malta's 10 marinas, falling far short of the number of pleasure craft registered in Malta.

The figure was revealed in Parliament this week by transport minister Aaron Farrugia, who was replying to a question by fellow Labour MP Chris Agius.

The figure disclosed does not include the numerous buoy berths around Malta and Gozo.

As of 2021, the number of registered boats in Malta stood at 23,133, including yachts which can navigate outside Maltese waters, whose number alone doubled from 2,733 in 2012 to 5,515 in 2021.

The 10 marinas, with their berthing capacity, are the following:

• Creek Developments Plc - 742
• Mgarr Harbour Marina - 282
• Marina di Valletta - 281
• Grand Harbour Marina - 260
• Manoel Island Marina - 200
• Roland Marina - 147
• Kalkara Marina - 131
• Portomaso Marina - 130
• Gzira Gardens Marina - 126
• Laguna Marina - 123

In 2021, 1,196 new boats were registered, bringing the total up by 5.5% over the previous year: the sharpest increase in the past decade.

This includes a 9% increase in the number of boats which can navigate outside Maltese waters, whose number increased from 5,053 in 2020 to 5,515 in 2021.

The number of boats restricted to Maltese waters which are registered in the small ships register, also went up by 734 over 2020 figures.

In another indication of the growth in conspicuous consumption amongst the rich, very large boats over 24m increased from just 196 in 2012, to 582 in 2021 (197%).

During the COVID pandemic, the number of these boats increased from 554 in 2020 to 639 in 2021, a 15% increase in a single year. Then, boats of over 36m increased from 28 in 2012 to 96 in 2021, a staggering 243% increase.

The increase in the number of pleasure boats also suggests that as Maltese beaches become ever more crowded, those who can afford a boat are securing their own ‘quiet spot’ in the sea and their passage to nearby holiday destinations like Sicily and Italy.

But even this phenomenon is aggravating environmental problems, such as contributing to over-crowding in beauty spots like Comino and triggering a demand for more berthing spaces and yacht marinas in Maltese bays.