As an island-state in the EU, Malta punches way above its weight when it comes to its maritime industry presence. Its performance is undoubtedly enhanced through the endeavours of the Malta Maritime Forum, whose sheer strength, goodwill and expertise have benefited the industry time after time.
Malta Maritime Directory meets KEVIN J. BORG, CEO of the Malta Maritime Forum.
Kevin J. Borg needs no introduction within the local industry at large, having spent most of his working life at the Malta Chamber of Commerce.
For much of his 24 years at the Chamber, he served as Director General – a position which enabled him to feel the pulse of Malta’s business community whilst directing the island’s largest business community representative organisation. Quickly learning the ropes and knowing exactly which doors to knock, Mr Borg was the ideal candidate to take over the recently established Malta Maritime Forum (MMF), as its CEO.
“Running the Malta Maritime Forum is much in line with what I used to do at
the Chamber,” Mr Borg said. “The main difference is that I am now working in
a more focused environment, zooming into the maritime industry where specialisation is standard.”
Established in 2015, the MMF embraces all the industry leaders in the local industry, from shipowners to divers who work in the field. Our membership may be safely described as modest in quantity, but extremely significant in quality, especially from the point of view of economic and strategic importance to the maritime industry of this country.
“Our aim is not to be a lobby group,meven though representing our members is a vital function of our Forum. We are driven predominantly by our mission to bring together all the stakeholders in the field and to act as a think-tank dedicated to the continuous development and improvement of our industry as a whole.
“Putting it bluntly, we are in a central position to provide value, support and leadership because of the expertise we possess within our membership itself. Our members, are in fact, the Forum’s primary resource because they carry a wealth of contacts, information and expertise which is priceless for the country.”
Travelling very often while conducting other international meetings virtually, the MMF participates regularly in discussions at the EU level, particularly on legislative proposals which are bound to have a direct impact on the shipping industry. “Maritime transport is intrinsically a business that is conducted beyond borders. For this reason, we make it a point to coordinate extensively with our counterparts and are actively engaged in discussions to make sure that any legislative proposal coming our way will not have any negative impact on our sector,” Mr Borg said.
One of the recent problems which took much of the time of the MMF are the recent sanctions introduced by the EU against Russia. Although sanctions are not a novelty, the measures imposed on Russia were immediate and the authorities benefited from our input in the articulation of the various port notices
with a view to avoid any unnecessary complications in the implementation at the local level.
Apart from the compliance and regulatory matters which the MMF must keep an eye on, there are other problems which, at face value, might seem less major,
photo: MMF held a seminar in collaboration with Bank of Valletta plc entitled “Energy Efficiency in the Maritime Sector” so as to keep the industry stakeholders abreast of such developments in the sector; analysing also the financial implications, benefits and solutions for structured investing in “green” progress
Apart from the day-to-day firefighting the CEO of the MMF has a precise understanding of where the organisation needs to be headed, and he has thus set a long-term vision for the MMF.
“Like any other organisation, the first years were crucial in finding our feet. Now that we have achieved solid grounding, we have devised a sound business-plan to guide us through the next phase over a 3-year period. Indeed, the preparation of this business-plan was my first task upon joining the MMF”, Mr Borg explained. Direct engagement with members is one of the main pillars upon which this business plan is built; not merely so that the organisation can continue to grow but even to understand better the problems faced by the various members.
we make it a point
to coordinate
extensively with our
counterparts and
are actively engaged
in discussions to
make sure that any
legislative proposal
coming our way
will not have any
negative impact on
our sector
The MMF intervenes also in matters which may be perceived as minor but which in actual fact could severely impact member segments. An apt example is the Forum’s intervention in convincing the government to allow Valletta Cruise Port to continue diligent operations during the National Regatta.
but which carry much more economic importance than meets the eye and may be very difficult to solve. “Recently we had to intervene in an impasse which affected the holding of the 31st March Regatta,” Mr Borg recounted.
“The authorities had ordered the clearance of Pinto 4 and 5 and the sea-lanes within the Grand Harbour on the day; meaning that some cruise liners were prohibited from berthing at their normal location as had been planned from 2 years in advance. This was going to cause grave economic and reputational damage to the cruise industry,
which had just started to recover slowly following the pandemic interval.” Mr Borg said that the MMF intervened, even publicly, and that following a series of meetings, a win-win solution was found with the regatta still being held just as planned while the cruise liners still berthed at their usual place in Valletta.
Apart from the day-to-day firefighting, the CEO of the MMF has a precise understanding of where the organisation needs to be headed, and he has thus set a long-term vision for the MMF. “Like any other organisation, the first years were crucial in finding our feet.
Now that we have achieved solid grounding, we have devised a sound business-plan to guide us through the next phase over a 3-year period. Indeed, the reparation of this business-plan was my first task upon joining the MMF”, Mr Borg explained.
Direct engagement with members is one of the main pillars upon which this business plan is built; not merely so that the organisation can continue to grow but even to understand better the problems faced by the various members.
we make it a point
to coordinate
extensively with our
counterparts and
are actively engaged
in discussions to
make sure that any
legislative proposal
coming our way
will not have any
negative impact on
our sector
Communications also features high in Mr Borg’s agenda setting, including the transmission of more information to its members on what is going on in their own sectors. Updating all its communications tools, including the introduction of social media communications, MMF members started receiving direct updates on the latest maritime industry news while the organisation started intervening more regularly with mainstream media. Before the last elections, the MMF also presented to the political parties its own
electoral manifesto, with ten concrete proposals which the sector would have liked to be implemented throughout the legislature. Mr Borg explained “I am pleased to say that our manifesto was very well received by both Government and the Opposition. In fact, the implementation of some of our recommendations have already been announced, such as the re-establishment of a national maritime authority and the setting up of a dedicated Maritime Court.” Policy and research are other factors which the MMF is also focusing on.
Policy and research
are other factors
which the MMF
is focusing on.
These endeavours
are being
enhanced through
the Forum’s
interactions with
specific established
platforms
photo: the Board of Directors of MMF held a meeting with the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects to share views on current challenges and opportunities facing the maritime industry.
decarbonisation …comes at a huge cost and potential risk associated with being a “prime mover” which the industry cannot sustain without the right dose of institutional support
These endeavours are being enhanced through the Forum’s interactions with specific established platforms as well as the mobilisation of internal expertise to formulate various memos on policy areas of the industry so as to continually and positively influence policy building in the sectors.
Asked about the Covid pandemic’s impact on the industry, Mr Borg is cautiously optimistic that the worse is over. Apart from the cruise liner industry, the maritime sector has never stopped and has continued to function. “This was absolutely vital for countries like Malta which is so dependant on the maritime sectors and which continued to uninterruptedly receive its fuel, food and medical supplies thanks to the maritime
industry, to the determination and foresight of the people at the helm and the dedication and bravery of sea-faring personnel, ” Mr Borg highlighted.
“While our industry never depended on any state subsidies, as many other sectors needed to be, we were nonetheless impacted. Disruptions in supply-chains are one of the most glaring effects but there are other critical issues such as that of employees who left the sector and were not replaced; a particularly demanding issue for the maritime sector more so than for others because of the technical, experience and skill levels required by this complex industry to properly operate.” And Mr Borg looks at the future with enthusiasm. Naming decarbonisation and digitalisation as two next crucial challenges facing the industry, Mr Borg said that the time may have come for governments to consider helping the industry to make a paradigm shift forward towards this “twin transition”. He said that while the shipping industry is all for less emissions and decarbonisation, this comes at
