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:
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PRIMARY BERTHING FACILITIES AT THE PORT OF VALLETTA |
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|
Name of Berth |
Length (m) |
Depth Min (m) |
Depth Max (m) |
Main Use for Berth |
| Church Wharf |
370 |
1.5 |
3 |
Small Crafts |
| Coal Wharf |
150 |
6.4 |
6.5 |
Ship Repair Yard |
| Deep Water Quay 1-3 |
350 |
9.2 |
9.5 |
Conventional Cargo |
| Deep Water Quay 4 |
138 |
8 |
8 |
RoRo and General Cargo |
| Deep Water Quay 5 |
74 |
5 |
7 |
RoRo and General Cargo |
| Flagstone Wharf |
217 |
11.5 |
11.8 |
Liquid Bulk, Bunkering |
| Fuel Wharf |
150 |
10 |
10 |
Cement Silo |
| Gun Wharf |
92 |
7.4 |
7.4 |
Seaplane |
| Laboratory Wharf |
191 |
11.4 |
12 |
Containers – Grain and RoRo |
| Laboratory Wharf S No. 1 |
117 |
7.3 |
7.3 |
Containers – Grain and RoRo |
| Laboratory Wharf S No. 2 |
72 |
7.3 |
7.3 |
Container Cargo |
| Lighters Wharf |
120 |
0.9 |
6 |
Small Craft |
| Magazine Wharf |
225 |
13.7 |
13.7 |
Grain, Containers |
| Pinto Wharves 1 & 2 |
307 |
8.4 |
8.4 |
Passenger Vessels |
| Pinto Wharf 3 |
171 |
9.8 |
10 |
Passenger Vessels |
| Pinto Wharves 4 & 5 |
250 |
10 |
11 |
Passenger Vessels |
| Ras Hanzir Dolphins |
80 |
7 |
7 |
Liquid Bulk |
| Senglea Quay |
383 |
6.6 |
8 |
Passenger Vessels |
| Timber Wharf |
115 |
6 |
11 |
Bunkers, Tug Boats |
| Wine Wharf |
73 |
8 |
8 |
RoRo |