 31 Jan – 6 Feb 2001 |
 |
 |
          |
|
|
 |
|
Sea Malta meeting future challenges Sea Malta Co Ltd, Malta's national shipping line, is thoroughly seeking to become a major player - not only in the local shipping industry but also within the Mediterranean market The company is, in fact, no new player in the routes connecting Malta with several major ports in the central Mediterranean. The Malta - Tunis - Geneva - Marseilles - Geneva run is currently being supported by Sea Malta's MV Maltese Falcon, while the Reggio Calabria and Catania service is served by the MV Zebbug. The company is continuously seeking new horizons in which to venture. The purchase of the Maltese Falcon was a major stepping stone for the company because the MV Maltese Falcon is the biggest vessel ever operated by Sea Malta and is ideal for keeping its commitment of maintaining a schedule whose reliability is second to none. The vessel operates on a weekly basis, carrying trailers and containers with a mixture of merchandise including refrigerated and hazardous cargoes. Sea Malta's portfolio of operations extends far beyond the services provided by Sea Malta's vessels. This portfolio of services which ensures customers a number of services based on the one-stop-shop concept includes Freight Forwarding, Customs Clearance, Door Delivery, Groupage, Warehousing and an array of other services. Other major achievements were the ISM accreditation for the two ships owned by Sea Malta and ISO 9002 certification for all services, the provision of insurance broking through Flagstone Insurance Brokers, feedering services through MedFeeder Co. Ltd and the branching into the cruise agency service sector by the setting up of Blue Waters Cruise Services. Sea Malta is also presently exploring the opportunities that will be created through Malta's membership with the EU. Through such membership Sea Malta will surely be at a much more advantageous position to compete with other major shipping lines in the Mediterranean region. Sea Malta is taking the challenges of EU membership very seriously and has gone as far as effecting an impact assessment, which earmarked various strategic business opportunities. These include the fact that EU accession will enable Sea Malta's vessels to operate between ports of EU member states, thus making the present routes more commercially viable and creating the possibility of exploring the challenges of introducing new routes. Sea Malta throughout its years of operation has been continuously seeking to strike a balance between the social responsibilities towards the State it belongs to and the commercial viability, which allows it to survive and prosper. This situation, coupled with the extremely competitive market has led Sea Malta to come in touch with new market opportunities. In the process, by operating in a completely liberalised market through direct competition with larger shipping companies, the Company has managed to attain a huge amount of experience. This experience acquired, when added to the human resources' expertise will find Sea Malta prepared to face the challenge of the future. | ||||||
| |||||||||
The Business Times, Network House, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 07
Tel: (356) 382741-3, 382745-6 | Fax: (356) 385075 | e-mail: [email protected]