Malta
Welcome to the Malta Branch of The Nautical Institute!
Malta has a rich and varied maritime history, both mercantile and military. Over the years this has made it a melting pot of knowledge and expertise in the Mediterranean - and an ideally placed branch of The Nautical Institute.
Welcoming members from the island itself, we are also a catchment for nearby Sicily and North Africa.
Please do get in touch to learn more - we would love to hear from you.
A brief history
The Malta Branch was established following an exploratory meeting held at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) Maritime Institute on Thursday 21 February 2002. Attending the first meeting were Capt Richard Gabriele MNI (Harbour Master, Malta Maritime Authority), Capt David Bugeja MNI (Deputy Harbour Master, Malta Maritime Authority), Capt Reuben Lanfranco MNI (Director, MCAST Maritime Institute) and Capt Michael Pagan MNI (Lecturer, MCAST Maritime Institute) - as well as a small number of other NI Members residing in Malta.
Following the meeting it was decided to set up the branch; Capt Gabriele was appointed to become the first Chairman, and Capt Pagan was appointed as its first Hon Secretary.
With the kind permission of the Director of the MCAST Maritime Institute, the Malta Branch was allowed to make use of Villa Portelli in Kalkara as its branch headquarters. Villa Portelli was the former official residence of the Royal Navy Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, before passing to the Maritime Institute of the state-run Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology.
The advantage of being granted use of this prestigious facility was that it allowed for closer collaboration between the The Nautical Institute and the local Maritime Institute - especially with regard to the recruitment of student members to the Malta Branch. Indeed, a large percentage of current members of the Malta Branch are alumni of the MCAST Maritime Institute.
On Friday 3 May 2002, NI President Capt Martin Scott and NI Secretary Julian Parker - together with the Minister for Education, Dr Louis Galea LLD MP and Malta Branch members - were present at the official ceremony at Villa Portelli to inaugurate the new branch. Officer Cadets from the MCAST Maritime Institute, as well as Sea Cadets from the TS St. Paul, SCC, were also present, ushering guests to their seats and taking around a delicious buffet of local delicacies to round off the proceedings.
The Malta Branch worked hand-in-hand with the MCAST Maritime Institute for many years and ran a regular programme of seminars and other activities from Villa Portelli. Other activities and visits were organised in close collaboration with industry stakeholders on the island, as well as with the Armed Forces of Malta, Maritime Squadron (from which the Malta Branch also recruited some of its members). A close link with the local Sea Scout Group and Sea Cadet Corps was also constantly maintained.
With the departure of Capt Lanfranco as Director of the MCAST Maritime Institute and the internal reorganisation which later took place at MCAST [whereby the Maritime Institute was reorganised as a Maritime Training Centre within the Institute of Engineering and Transport], the Branch's access to Villa Portelli unfortunately ended - although alternative accomodation was kindly provided by the Malta Pilots, the Malta Maritime Authority (later Transport Malta, Ports & Yachting Directorate and Transport Malta, Merchant Shipping Directorate)and the Vikings Sailing Club in Floriana.
More recently a larger percentage of members of the Malta Branch have been sea-going, and so the number of activities organised locally started to fall. However, despite this, the Malta Branch still managed to host the 2018 AGM of The Nautical Institute, which was a very well-attended and successful event.
As Malta is a relatively small island the membership can never realistically reach the heights of a much larger maritime nation - but many of the Malta Branch members today are all leading professionals in the industry and play important roles in promoting maritime professionalism, both locally and overseas. We are also fortunate to have had a very consistent and loyal membership over many years - for which we are very thankful.
We aim to remain an engaging, active branch of The Nautical Institute, working hard to serve our members and the maritime community in Malta and the wider Mediterranean region for many years to come.