What licences do I need for commercial passenger boat trips?

Operating a commercial vessel carrying paying passengers in Malta is subject to a range of regulatory requirements under the Merchant Shipping Act, Chapter 234 of the Laws of Malta, and related subsidiary legislation administered by Transport Malta, and depending on the specific type and size of vessel and the nature of your intended trips, this would generally include requirements such as the vessel itself being properly certified for commercial passenger carriage, meeting applicable safety and stability standards for the number of passengers you intend to carry, having appropriately certified crew holding the correct licences for the specific vessel and role, and potentially specific route or area authorisation depending on where your excursions would operate. Beyond the maritime-specific vessel and crew requirements, operating a genuine commercial tourism business in Malta would also likely involve separate general business licensing and registration requirements, and depending on the nature of your excursions, potentially specific tourism sector authorisations, meaning your overall compliance picture involves multiple different regulatory strands beyond just the maritime certification aspects alone. Given the genuinely significant safety responsibilities and multiple layers of regulatory requirements involved in commercially carrying paying passengers at sea, it would be strongly advisable to engage both a maritime lawyer familiar with Transport Malta's specific commercial passenger vessel requirements and, separately, general business licensing advice, before committing to purchasing or chartering a vessel for this specific commercial purpose.