Port of Valletta
The Grand Harbour or, in Maltese, Il-Port il-Kbir, lies mainly beneath Valletta, the capital city of Malta, and the Three Cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa and Senglea.
The Harbour mouth faces North East. Sheltered at the north by St.Elmo’s Point breakwater, Ricasoli Breakwater arm is found at the south. Its North West shore is formed by the Sciberras peninsula (over which Valletta, and its suburb Floriana, were built). This peninsula also divides the Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour, Marsamxett Harbour. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland to Marsa. The south eastern shore of the Harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered by Kalkara and the Three Cities: Cospicua, Vittoriosa, and Senglea.
The Port of Valletta, a natural deep-water harbour, extends for about 3.6 kilometres inland. Its two-arm breakwater renders it a safe, all-weather port throughout the year, open on a 24 hour basis, although entrance may be restricted during strong Easterly winds. The Port of Valletta is a multi-purpose port equipped to offer a large spectrum of maritime services including:
- Various cruise/ferry and cargo berths
- Specialised grain and cement silos
- Petroleum installations, bunkering facilities
- Ship repair and building yards
- Ship chandelling
- Reception facilities
- Other ship related services
Warehousing and open storage facilities are available throughout the port area.
Ship Repair Facilities
Palumbo Shipyards
The major ship repair facility within the Grand Harbour is locatated within French Creek where 3 docks are located, with the largest capable of handling vessels of about 330 metres, and is operated by Palumbo Shipyards.
More information can be found here.
The Mediterranean Maritime Hub
The Mediterranean Maritime Hub, operated by MMH Malta Ltd, is a full service 170,000m2maritime hub, with 1.2km of quayside and a 700T travel lift, with facilities dedicated for the marine, oil and gas industries, providing logistical base services, technical services, recruitment and crew logistics and training.
More information on the VGT can be found here
Bezzina and Cassar Ship Repair Yard
The Grand Harbour also houses two private ship repair yards - Bezzina Ship Repair Yard and Cassar Ship Repair Yard. Both companies are equipped with shore workshops and floating docks and operate in accordance with agreements entered into with the Authority for sea and land concessions.
Useful links:
Cargo and Passenger Handling
Cargo Handling
The Valletta Gateway Terminals (VGT) have a concession agreement with the Authority to manage and operate terminals at the Port of Valletta. They are responsible for the handling of containers, trailers, breakbulk, vehicles and other cargoes.
VGT berths:
- Deep Water Quay
- Laboratory Wharf
- Magazine Wharf
More information on the VGT can be found here.
Passenger Handling
The operator of passenger handling facilities in Valletta is the Valletta Cruise Port, a private consortium mainly made up of foremost local enterprises but also including participation from several international companies. The company has been granted an operational license and conceded a 65-year BOT lease for the operation and development of passenger handling facilities.
Valletta Cruise Port berths:
- Pinto 1 - Pinto 5
More information on the Valletta Cruise Port can be found here.
