US and Malta to develop partnership to stimulate business in Libya

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech welcomed Lorraine Hariton, US State Department Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs, to discuss possible areas of cooperation between Malta and the US with a view to social, political and commercial activity in Libya.

Ms Hariton is responsible for State Department outreach to the business community and commercial advocacy efforts. She works with the business community worldwide to coordinate commercial diplomacy efforts supporting US foreign policy objectives.

She discussed with Mr Fenech the relationship Malta has built with Libya in all sectors, the security situation in Libya as well as the opportunities that exist for possible investment and development. Both governments, the DOI said, hope to build upon this meeting to provide access to the ‘Malta discovery process’ to US firms wishing to do business in the region.

Mr Fenech expressed the hope that this visit would be the foundation stone for a possible long-term partnership at a political and economic level between the US and Malta which may necessitate partnerships between US and Maltese firms on larger projects in Libya.

Source: Malta Independent online 

Libyan Airlines restart Malta operations today (20th April 2012)

Libyan Airlines will restart operations to and from Malta today after wet-leasing an aircraft to circumvent the ban imposed by the European Commission earlier this month.

The airline will fly out twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, after managing to strike a wet-leasing agreement with Nouvelair, Tunisia’s leading private airline.

Libyan Airlines’ representative in Malta, Kevin Farrugia, said the new aircraft, an Airbus A320, would allow the airline to continue flying between Libya and Malta.

Discussions are also in their final phase to operate flights to other European destinations including Manchester, Rome, Madrid and Athens, among others, he said.

A wet lease is a leasing arrangement where an airline provides an aircraft, complete with crew, maintenance and insurance, to another airline which pays by hours operated. The airline leasing the aircraft provides fuel and covers airport fees and any other duties and taxes.

As in this case, a wet-leased aircraft may be used to fly services into countries where the airline is banned from operating with its own aircraft.

Earlier this month the Commission banned all Libyan airlines from European airspace until November, at the earliest, because of safety concerns.

A Commission spokesman said when contacted yesterday that wet-leasing aircraft were not excluded when airlines were banned from European airspace.

The ban was agreed with Libya’s civil aviation authorities following “serious concerns… regarding the safety oversight of air carriers licensed in Libya”.

The EU’s updated air safety list included a ban on the Venezuelan airline Conviasa, due to numerous safety concerns arising from accidents and the results of ramp checks at EU airports.

Mr Farrugia said the flights from Tripoli will arrive in Malta every Monday and Thursday at 6.15 p.m., with a return flight leaving Malta an hour later.

He said Libyan Airlines was also in the process of wet-leasing another of Nouvelair’s Airbus fleet and this will also be used on the Malta route, increasing frequency to and from Malta from twice weekly to four times a week.

Mr Farrugia said Libyan Airlines will also be providing a cargo service, with the possibility of transporting cargo to and from Tripoli and Malta.

(Source: Times of Malta)

Malta eyes cheap Libyan oil, after Qatari talks

NTC undersecretary for oil and gas suggests joint meeting for Maltese technical team. 

Tonio Fenech at the recent Libya forum held in Malta.

Matthew Vella

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech has been in discussions with the Libyan undersecretary at the ministry of oil and gas, Umar Shakmak, over Malta's hopes of obtaining assured supplies of Libyan oil and gas products on favourable terms, the English-language Libyan Herald has reported.

Shakmak was quoted in the NTC website suggesting during a joint meeting that a Maltese technical team be appointed to discuss the matter with specialists from the Libya National Oil Corporation.

"The two men are reported to have discussed other aspects of joint cooperation between Libya and Malta and ways of strengthening them," the Libyan Herald reported.

In February, Libya said it would review a request by the Jordanians to assure their oil and petroleum product needs at preferential prices.

Fenech will lead a Malta Enterprise delegation to Libya between April 16 and 19.  It will, however, concentrate on ports and maritime services.

At the end of February, Fench told a business forum on Libya that Malta identified itself strongly with Libya and wanted to play a strong role in its future.

MaltaToday revealed that Tonio Fenech also held meetings in Doha with Qatar's minister for energy and industry Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada.

The meeting - held in the presence of Frank Galea, Malta's newly-appointed ambassador to the Gulf States - was held at the Qatar Petroleum headquarters and was also attended by senior officials of QP and Qatar Petroleum International.

Fenech said that "government acknowledged that the important thing was to find an alternative solution to weathering this temporary spike in oil prices."

He said that government's ultimate priority was to safeguard employment, industry and businesses.

Source: Malta Today