You see it on vessels, a registry without a commercial port maybe.
But what does it look like? I’ve often wondered that about Majuro or Vanuatu.
As it turns out, Valletta, Malta is the registry choice for cargo vessels and
yachts above and below and many others
and turns out to be the largest ship registry in the EU and the sixth largest globally.
Thanks to David Schwartz, here it is. Not surprisingly, it
has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. This harbor has been used by “Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the Knights of St John;” Besides that there were Ottomans and St. Paul himself. I need to put it on my list of places to go.
Can you name any Maltese cities besides Valletta?
Many thanks to David Schwartz for sending the photos of Valetta Harbor in Malta. The five photos above that taken in the sixth boro and Virginia by Will Van Dorp.
By the way, the largest city is Birkirkara. Valletta is the capital city, with a quarter the population of Birkirkara.
For previous “port of” posts, click here. And if you have photos of ports obscure, far-flung, and/or unrecognized, I’d love to see them.
tugster: a waterblog 
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 14, 2018 at 12:09 pm
Harry T Scholer
Had the pleasure of spending a few days at anchor in the harbor. Don’t know if the walled city is still a walled city. Still have a picture of our ship taken then.
February 14, 2018 at 9:48 pm
D. Schwartz
As of 4 years ago the walls still stand and frankly if they went it would hurt tourism.
February 14, 2018 at 12:09 pm
William
One wonders how many of the vessels registered at Valletta have ever visited there.
February 14, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Robin Denny. Windsor, UK.
During the Second World War Valletta Harbour held very many grateful Royal Navy ships and merchantmen who had survived the bombing and shelling on the voyage thither. The tanker Ohio was one. A real Safe Haven.
Interestingly, the tanker San Demetrio struggled into Glasgow in very similar circumstances. Brave men both.
Popularity? Might it perhaps be due to relaxed regulations and application thereof. Cheap but is that a necessary consideration nowadays?
February 14, 2018 at 10:05 pm
D. Schwartz
Other cities in Malta are:
Medina/Rabat- The old walled city that was the Medieval capitol until the knight of St John showed up.
St Paul’s Bay- Coastal town that was a regional center and now is a major recreation/hotel area.
Rabat- Regional capitol of the second island Gozo.
But since the two main islands are about 95% urbanized, and it’s only 122 mi^2, we can consider it one large kinda spread out city.
Of course I honeymooned there so I have bit of an advantage.
February 14, 2018 at 10:06 pm
D. Schwartz
Other cities in Malta are:
Medina/Rabat- The old walled city that was the Medieval capitol until the knight of St John showed up.
St Paul’s Bay- Coastal town that was a regional center and now is a major recreation/hotel area.
Rabat- Regional capitol of the second island Gozo.
But since the two main islands are about 95% urbanized, and it’s only 122 mi^2, we can consider it one large kinda spread out city.
Of course I honeymooned there so I have bit of an advantage.
February 14, 2018 at 11:55 pm
Peter S. Shenkin
You might not know this, but the Knights of Malta still exist. A friend of ours is married to the head of the order in Lebanon. They go to Lourdes every year to administer to the current crop of miracle seekers; presumably, to comfort them as they depart in the same wheelchairs in which they arrived. Aside from this annual event, the order seems to be mainly a place to show off one’s equestrian skills.
February 15, 2018 at 8:45 am
Daniel Meeter
There’s a Maltese immigrant population in Port Colborne, Ontario.
February 15, 2018 at 9:30 am
Chris Wiilliams
Took a crew and a 30 foot Hawser Handling Boat into Valetta back in ’70 from the Sunbird, ASR-15. Needed to get something from another ship berthed in the harbor, and it seemed we didn’t have authorization to take Sunbird in herself, so as the duty Boat Officer I got to make the run in the dark, from a couple of miles offshore. Flew a big US flag, and carried a radio to stay in touch with the ship. Looked like a fascinating place to re-visit at the time, and would love to go back.
February 15, 2018 at 10:32 am
Rembert
Far-flung harbors? I´m sure, Sunda Kelapa can be subsumed under these, even if the buildings show dutch design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_Kelapa Another one you may find in this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT4oA24hE9Y
As one can see here https://www.paddlesteamers.org/national/between-german-paddlers-by-canal/ , even the last remaining „steamer” on Rhine, „Goethe“, is like a lot of other passenger ships on European rivers, flagged out to Malta with its culture of impunity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Caruana_Galizia Because of low social standards for the crews…
February 15, 2018 at 12:00 pm
tugster
Thx all for your Valletta stories. Rembert, thx for refreshing me with “Surabaya Johnny,” and here’s a version by Marianne Faithfull in English with lyrics. I used to have a student from Surabaya. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8OpVJqlG1w