MMLA

Malta Maritime Law Association

Member of the Comité Maritime International

  • About MMLA
    • Committees
      • Subcommittees
    • Maritime History of Malta
  • News
  • Events
    • Past Events
  • Publications
  • Resources
  • Contact

Maritime History of Malta

Malta is located in the centre of the Mediterranean, 93 km to the south of Sicily and 290 km to the north of Africa, at the crossroads of Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Malta’s strategic position has, since time immemorial, placed the island at the forefront in the maritime sphere. At the heart of the Mediterranean and in the middle of one of the major shipping arteries Malta has attracted the attention of the great powers dominating their time.

In the early 1500s, Malta was ruled by the Order of St. John (later known as the Knights of Malta) who enhanced Malta’s maritime position through the construction of a shipyard facility. In June 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte on his way to Egypt eyed the maritime importance of Malta and snatched it from the hands of the Knights. The importance of Malta as a maritime hub was well known and the British took over the island after just a couple of years of French rule. Over the years the maritime activity was further improved and modernized and became one of the most valuable assets of the British empire in the Mediterranean for around 150 years.

Independence to modern day

Malta became a State for all facts and purposes on the 21st September 1964, the day in which it acquired its independence. It was time to change from an island fortress (military) economy to a market economy. Malta continued to take advantage of its maritime assets and has been ever since renowned for its well equipped ports, skilful seamen and has made excellent use of its position to enhance international trade. The Merchant Ensign was adopted on 12th November 1965. The design of the Malta Flag is similar to the flag flown by the Knights of the Order of St. John in Malta up to 1798 to which a white border has been added.

750px-Civil_Ensign_of_Malta.svgThe Malta Flag

Established in 1973 as an Open Register of Shipping under the Homeport ‘Valletta’, Malta has become a renowned international ship register which offers ancillary services such as ship supplies and towage services, bunkering, shipyards, shipbuilding & repair as well as facilities such as a Freeport and Yachting Marinas.

The regulator of the Malta Flag, the Malta Maritime Authority, was set up in 1991. It was designed to administer the Malta Registry of Shipping and Seamen. At the beginning of 2010, the Malta Maritime Authority has been incorporated into a wider organization, namely Transport Malta (TM) which has assumed overall responsibility for maritime, land and air transport.

The Malta Flag has experienced significant and constant growth since its birth and is today the largest in Europe and the sixth largest in the world in terms of tonnage. After joining the EU in 2004 Malta has managed to retain and even went on to strengthen its international status as one of the top maritime flags, not only in terms of size but perhaps more importantly in terms of quality and profile developing into a very attractive, reliable and solid European flag.

News & Publications

  • New MMLA President and Executive Committee elected December 28, 2022
  • A way forward for Malta’s maritime industry – William Vella November 21, 2022
  • Dr Ann Fenech elected CMI President October 24, 2022
  • MMLA President Dr Ann Fenech on The Judicial Sales of Ships August 9, 2022
  • MMLA President at UNCITRAL in New York July 11, 2022
  • Meeting with the Minister of Justice May 30, 2022

Contact Us

Malta Maritime Law Association (MMLA)
Sa Maison House
Sa Maison Hill
Floriana FRN 1612
MALTA
E: mmla@mmla.org.mt
T: (+356) 25 594 118
follow us on facebook and linkedIn

Join Us

Even though the MMLA is a law association, membership is open to all those with a real interest in maritime affairs with a legal twist.
Become a member...

International Events

The CMI Colloquium 2023 will take place in Montreal, Canada from 14-16 June. More information can be found here

The 2022 CMI Conference took place in Antwerp, Belgium from 18-21 October. Antwerp is the birthplace of the Comite’ Maritime International and this year celebrated its 125th anniversary.

The CMI Virtual Assembly was held on 30 September 2021

The CMI Assembly and Colloquium was held in Mexico City between 30 September – 2 October 2019: Find out more…

The CMI held the Assembly meeting and other events on 8./9. November 2018 in London. Find out more…

The Malta Colloquium on Judicial Sales was held on 27 February 2018 in Valletta. Find out more…

 

 

Copyright © 2023 · Enterprise Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in