Gozitan fast ferry provider chosen in best interest of service ‘and of nothing else’, Gozo Minister says

Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana has said that the choice of company to partner with Gozo Channel to run the fast ferry had been done in the interest of the Gozo Channel service, “and of nothing and nobody else”.

Addressing criticism which had been levied on the Gozo Channel for the company it had selected through a bidding process, Caruana insisted in Parliament today that short, medium and long-term plans to make the service more efficiency had been drawn up.

In April, Islands Ferry Network was selected to run the fast ferry service, following a call issued by Gozo Channel for partners to join its bid.

However, Virtu Ferries - one of the bidders, which had last year been deemed the best choice to run the fast service, but, after the tender was re-issued, ended up not been chosen - had been harshly critical of the selection, saying a “company set up a week ago” had been selected to run the service. It subsequently appealed the selection.

The Sunday Times of Malta reported yesterday that the government had cast aside the original choice of Virtu Ferries, and instead appointed a new selection committee that led to the recommendation of a different provider.

Virtu Ferries had been chosen to partner with Gozo Channel by a committee made up of five people, the newspaper said, however the Gozo Ministry had ignored its conclusions, cancelled the selection process, issued a new tender and replaced all the committee members with a board of three persons instead.

“It is true that a fast ferry selection process had already taken place last year, but this was for a tender which was then withdrawn, and another one issued instead,” Caruana said.

“The Gozo Channel restarted the process according to the requirements on the new tender. This is now the subject of two appeals, so all those speculating on the matter have to wait for these to be concluded,” she underscored.

“We must acknowledge that the Gozo Channel is now being used significantly more. This weekend it carried more than 55,000 passengers, a 13% increase over last year,” she added, emphasising that she had a plan for the channel service which she would be making public at the right time.