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. The main quays available in port area are:
Deep Water Quay
Being 488 m long, this quay handles mainly conventional cargo and provides facilities for the berthing of ro-ro vessels. Alongside this quay are three transit sheds with a global area of 8,500 m2, together with ample storage space.
Fuel Wharf
Fuel Wharf is 150 m in length, with a depth of 10 m and hosts cement silos operated by private terminal operators who undertake cement- handling operations under concession by the Authority.
Laboratory Wharf
This wharf - total length 380 m - provides facilities for the berthing of container and ro-ro vessels.
Magazine Wharf
With a silo capacity of 86,000 tonnes, this wharf is primarily a cereal facility terminal operated by the Kordin Grain Terminal Co. Ltd. Magazine Wharf is an extension of Laboratory Wharf, with a length of 250 m and a depth of 15 m. It can handle Panamax sized bulkers of up to 70,000 dwt.
Pinto Wharf
Pinto Wharf is a dedicated cruise and ferry berth ad able to accomodate any size of cruise vessel. The lengths of Pinto Quay are as follows: Pinto 1 and 2 - 307 m; Pinto 3 - 171 m and Pinto 4 and 5 - 250 m.
Flagstone Wharf
Flagstone Wharf is a petroleum berth, hosting petroleum storage facilities primarily used for the purpose of engaging in bunkering activities and fuel supply to the power station. Tankers of about 180 m are normally handled at this berth.
Wine Verandah
Wine Verandah is used for small ro-ro vessels.
Senglea Quay
Senglea Quay, formerly known as Boiler Wharf which formed part of the Malta Shipyards, is now used for berthing cruise liners. The quay length is 383 m with a maximum depth of 8 m.
Other Berths
The Port of Valletta also caters berths for ship repair purposes. These are located at the Dock Numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the Marsa Ship Building. There are also private ship repair yards, namely Bezzina Ship Repair Yard and Cassar Ship Repair Yard.
Cargo Handling in Valletta
The Singapore-listed ports' equipment company Portek has secured a 30-year concession to operate a multi-purpose terminal in Malta. The concession was secured from the Authority by Valletta Gateway Terminals, in which Portek has a 55% stake. The Maltese conglomerate Tumas Group, which has interests across Europe in the hotel and property development industry, holds the remaining 45%. The concession, which started on 1 July 2006, will involve VGT handling containers, trailers, breakbulk, vehicles and other cargoes at the Port of Valletta.
More information can be found here.
Passenger Handling in Valletta
The operator of passenger handling facilities in Valletta is the Valletta International Sea Terminals (VISET), 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 at Pinto Wharf.
More information can be found here.
Valletta Port Approaches (PDF)