Crucial hubs for a nation importing most essential goods
As an island nation with a strong maritime tradition, Malta has long recognised the importance of maintaining its port facilities’ competitive edge. The Port of Valletta, also known as the Grand Harbour, is the main entry point for people and goods arriving by sea. It extends for around 3.6km inland and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and hosts a wide array of services including ship repair and building yards, ship chandelling, bunkering facilities, and specialised silos. The main terminal can handle container, RoRo, and conventional cargo. The port also contains the Valletta Cruise Port and ferry links to Sicily and Gozo.
On the other side of Valletta, towards the cosmopolitan areas of Sliema and Gżira, one finds Marsamxett Harbour, which is largely dedicated to leisure-related activity and boasts several acclaimed yacht marinas.
At the southern end of the main island lies the Malta Freeport, which ranks among the Mediterranean’s largest transhipment ports. Operated by Yildirim Group, CMA-CGM and CMPort, its two terminals offer 2,462m of operational deep-water quays, 771,000sqm for container storage, a total of 15,297 container ground slots, and 1,840 reefer slots. With a water depth of 17m, the port can accommodate the latest class of 24,000 TEU vessels. The freeport has received over 2,000 ship calls and handled over 3 million TEU in a single year, with its 20 quayside cranes, 60 gantry cranes and highly skilled, dedicated personnel delivering fast turnarounds for some of the world’s largest shipping companies.
Malta’s strategic position is fully exploited with over 120 global port connections, and the port continues to invest heavily in digitalisation, infrastructural development, productivity, and ongoing workforce training to stay ahead of the curve and meet demanding clients’ high expectations.
In 2023, Malta Freeport embarked on a €90 million extension to accommodate the mega containerships currently in development. Scheduled for completion in late 2024, the extension will increase the terminal’s capacity to 4 million TEU.
