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MALTA Supported by

ISSUE 1 2010

Vella Group in pole position for Europe

The Vella Group has become one of the first companies on Malta to take full advantage of the island’s strategic location in the EU. For ships coming through Suez, Malta is virtually the first point of contact with the EU, and it makes an ideal logistics platform to reach the rest of the Union.

Goods from the Far East can

be cleared and entered into free circulation in the EU in Malta – reached in only 16 days on some shipping services from the Far East, or only 12 from India – stored if necessary, or relabelled or repacked and then moved on to their ultimate destination

in Europe on one of Express Trailers’ frequent services within a maximum of about five days. (Express Trailers is the road arm of the group, that also includes Express Freight, which operates container groupage and FCL services from the Far East into Malta.)

Express Trailers’ sales and development manager, David Fleri Soler says: “There are great advantages to European distributors in using Malta as a base, especially now that there are very good ro ro connections from Malta to Europe.” He adds that, thanks to the imbalance of cargo between the rest of

Europe and Malta – imports massively outnumber the island’s exports – there is always plenty of space available on trailers out of Malta, and prices are very competitive too. Major users of the new hub

service so far include high-end cosmetics and the oil and gas industry. Malta customs has been very cooperative in helping to set up the operation, he says. The Vella Group is actually one of the very few companies with a Class A customs bond, allowing it to have goods customs-cleared on its own premises. However, the company still uses the Hal

Far public bond for local Malta traffic. The Vella Group is now

planning to expand its offering by starting further groupage services from China. It is one of Malta’s largest and most diverse freight operators, with not only the most frequent road service, but also freight forwarding and airfreight through its Eyre Cargo Services arm. It is also one of the few Maltese operators to offer modern warehousing – 1500 pallet spaces on two sites. The group has to maintain

high standards, says Soler, because many of its customers are pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Generic pharmaceuticals are one of the country’s chief exports – in value terms, if not in volume – and Express Trailers now offers the latest GPRS tracking technology that gives customers access to consignment temperature data while en route. It also holds pharma industry accreditation and was the first service company in Malta to be ISO certified, back in 1995. It also has two Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors on its staff and drivers are also trained in the handling of such goods. Other specialities are hanging

garments, some of which find their way to British high street

stores. Currently, there are 10-11 regular trucks a week between Malta and the UK and a total of 21 direct weekly groupage lines to Europe. The UK is still the most

important market, and Express Trailers has UK depots in Dagenham, Birmingham and Newton-le-Willows near Warrington. There is also a heavy plant

and project arm that has, among other work, recently moved equipment and material for the new US embassy in Malta. The group even has a 38-tonne forklift and an 80t crane in its equipment roster.

Nothing too big or too awkward

Malta-based haulier White Brothers has moved some of the heaviest and most awkward cargoes in and out of the island. Recent jobs include handling 85-ton transformers, printing machinery, boilers, air handlers, 67-ton reels, tanks, generators and even relocation of whole plants. White Bros’ large and varied fleet of vehicles,

ranging from tractor units, terminal tractors, box trucks, temperature controlled vans, curtainsiders, tilts, 20ft and 40ft trailers, along with trailers

capable of carrying up to 110 tonnes, forklifts and cranes is probably one of the most comprehensive on Malta. Its latest addition is a 150-ton capacity crane, with a modern crane computer system. The company handles ship to shore operations

including terminal tractors for ro ro vessels. Storage and warehousing facilities, including a customs approved bonded area, are also available. It also offers air and sea freight forwarding services through its subsidiary, White Freight Services.

New cranes and trailers have enhanced White Brothers’ handling capabilities

Haulier keeps up investment

WJ Parnis England has been maintaining its truck and trailer fleet in a tough market. “We’re still renewing and trying to grow our business, but it’s nothing dramatic yet,” says managing director, Stephen Parnis England. Regular services to the UK and Europe are continuing, with

major partners RH Freight for the UK and Sifte Berti for Italy. The WJPE hub in Milan also acts as a focal point for other countries not served direct, particularly eastern and central Europe. Milan is not far from Genoa, which is the focal point of many of the Grimaldi ferry services from Malta.

International incident disrupts supply chain

IRISL, one of the major users of the Freeport and now owned by fellow Iranian operator HDS, hit the international headlines last November when nine of its containers, on board a common user feeder vessel, the Francop, were intercepted by the Israelis and were allegedly found to be carrying arms destined for Hesbollah. Local Maltese traders were not amused, not necessarily because of the political ramifications, but because other cargoes were delayed while the Israeli military searched the entire ship. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36