Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/634260
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JANUARY 2016 VI MALTA has a long history associ- ated with shipping, going right back to Phoenician times, when Malta was already an important trading station. Nature has been very kind to us. We have great ports in this country which have been used by conquering civilisa- tions through the ages whether these were the Romans, Carthaginians, Arabs, the Spaniards, the Knights of St. John or the British. The British rec- ognised Malta's strategic location and excellent ports not just for their military purposes but also as part of their stra- tegic trading network. Many of these colonisers have made improvements and put in infrastructure that now we, as an independent nation, still use and benefit from. The Valletta Waterfront was com- missioned in 1752 by the Portuguese Grandmaster of the Knights of Saint John Manuel Pinto de Fonseca, which is the reason why it is often known as Pinto Wharf. There were nineteen stores built with doors painted in different colours signifying the dif- ferent goods stored in them – blue for fish, yellow for grains, green for other agricultural produce and red for wine. Some years ago these beautiful historical buildings were restored and their doors repainted in their original colours, albeit now serving very differ- ent purposes. Malta remains a very important ship- ping hub, today more than ever. Its role as a transhipment hub is appreci- ated internationally by ship owners and traders though it seems to be less appreciated by the Maltese people themselves. Even decision makers need to give it greater importance. Sullivan insists we need to appreciate the fact that "shipping is an important pillar of Malta's economy and give it the importance it deserves." Port facilities In the south of Malta, in Birzebbugia, one finds the Malta Freeport. Its two container terminals are among the biggest in the Mediterranean. Termi- nal One has a mainline quay length of 1,000 metres with a water depth of 17 metres, a total area of 489,000 square metres, 10,270 container ground slots and 597 reefer points. Terminal Two has a total operational quay length of 1,173 metres, 4,866 ground slots, 344 reefer points and a total area of 224,000 square metres. In the Valletta and Three Cities area, one finds Valletta Gateway Terminals, a joint venture between Portek Group of Singapore and Tumas Group of Malta. Established in June 2006, it operates and manages the Grand Har- bour Terminals. Also in the south of Malta one finds the Marsaxlokk oil terminals, with the oil storage facilities managed by En- emed & Oiltanking. In the scheme of things, Malta's ports have a tiny fraction of the world's shipping business. Factoring in both the volume of ships and the number of other ports each is connected to, Malta does not make the top 20 list. How- ever the business is still worth millions of euro for the island's economy and for a small economy like ours, this is substantial. Asked why Malta is so attractive within the shipping industry, Sullivan said there are two primary factors: its location and its efficiency in the provi- sion of services. Our location – on the main shipping route between the Suez canal and the Gibraltar straits – is a happy accident of geography, one we should be thankful for. The second factor however needs some work. And Sullivan insists that "efficiency is key to a successful shipping industry." So the focus of the industry should be on making our services more efficient. Malta as a transhipment hub Sullivan explained that one can divide Malta's transhipment business Shipping & Logistics Jewel of the Mediterranean 'Jewel of the Mediterranean' is how world traders have described Malta for generartions, and for good reason. Director of Seatrans Shipping Ltd Thomas Sullivan tends to agree. However after sitting down with him, MARK BORG came to the conclusion that this jewel could do with a bit of polishing Director Thomas Sullivan A year of global shipping routes mapped by GPS (source: wired.com/2010/01/global-shipping-map) ...this jewel could do with a bit of polishing