Gozo – The gap can be bridged: by Dr. Franco Mercieca

The possibility of a fixed link between mainland Malta and Gozo has been on the agenda in the past but never got beyond pen and paper. The double insularity that Gozo suffers from, has recently been having its toll on the economy. The insularity and connectedness are the two sides of the same coin but forever intertwined. A permanent link can threaten islandness by removing its physical prerequisite but such a link can actually save or enhance an island community.

In the early 1970’s, the Mintoff administration had commissioned a team of Japanese engineers from the Japanese government to carry out a preliminary feasibility study for a permanent link between Malta and Gozo that would not be subject to the vagaries of the weather. Their work is contained in a 20 page leaflet which is gathering dust in the National Library. This project never took off. The real reason/s why it was sidelined I do not know but could either have been the at the time exorbitant capital expenditure or the resistance from the Gozitans or other priorities of the central government or a combination of all three factors. The issue of a permanent link for Gozo with mainland Malta was also on the preliminary wishlist of the Labour party in the mid eighties. Over the last 23 years the issue has been shelved and at the moment there is no light at the end of the tunnel. In fact the issue has been relegated tto informal discussion groups in part clubs, pubs and social networks but never discussed in the right fora.

To the contrary in the nineties a capital investment of over 250 million Euros was made on new ferry boats for Gozo Channel in addition to building of an excellent Terminal in Gozo while still living in hope for the Cirkewwa Terminal. I am told that the lifetime of these ferries is usually around 25 to 30 years and therefore in 15-years time we will be looking for a new capital investment to keep up with the ever increasing demands for transportation between Malta and Gozo.

So in the near future the following question will arise: Should we invest in new ferries or another method of transportation such as a permanent link?

On 23rd February 2008 the world’s deepest undersea tunnel to date, was inaugurated in Norway. The Eiksund tunnel which is over 7 km in length connects mainland Norway and Hareidlandet island. It reaches a depth of 287m. with steepest gradient at 9.6%. The total cost for this tunnel was 500 million NOK equivalent to 65million Euros which is a stark contrast with the quarter of a billion Euro spent on the ferries a decade ago.

Could this scenario be applied to our situation? The distance between Malta and Gozo is around 5 km and according to the Japanese document the sea depth in the channel does not exceed 26m. According to the EU, a tunnel gradient should not exceed 5% which is in contrast to 10% which is allowed in Norway, which is not a member of the EU. I am no geologist but from my O level geography I presume that the rock structure is harder in Scandinavia than in the Maltese islands.

For any government to embark on such a project will be daunting to say the least. With the threat of institutionalized corruption such a capital project would end up costing at least double the projections by completion date. However I am quite positive that a private enterprise given the right agreement and conditions would consider embarking on such a project.

Crossing on a fixed link may come at a cost. But who would not pay an extra charge to get to Mater Dei Hospital as soon as possible for any emergency treatment, or even get to any appointment on mainland Malta or vice versa without having to waste at least an hour, or get to a flight on time or return home quickly especially at odd hours. Would the tourist complain of paying the extra charge but be assured of getting to his desired destination faster without any hassle? I doubt it!

In the last few decades we have witnessed lots of huge companies merging and joining forces in order to save their businesses. In the not too distant past such a step would have been considered as a suicidal but rationale has shown that merges have the big advantage of avoiding double investment. Linking an island with the mainland could mean a huge amount of saving for the central government.

Those opposing a fixed link would stress that Gozo would lose its identity. An identity which at the moment is being gradually denigrated with the continual brain/skill drain due to lack of high end jobs. On the other hand I am sure that there will be a significant socio-cultural, economical, environmental and political changes but the net balance would be positive. Villages in Malta like Siggiewi, Mgarr, Dingli or Kirkop have all preserved a lot of their character, why should Gozo lose its own by a fixed link?

The double insularity is the certificate for lack of progress or regress in comparison to other communities. Therefore I strongly believe that the possibility of a fixed link between Gozo and Malta should be seriously discussed in the right fora and in the presence of the people concerned, mainly us Gozitans.

Editors Note: This is Dr. Mercieca’s second article on a fixed link between Gozo and Malta – His first article on the same subject can be viewed here ^[1]