BFT Season 2024 – 4 Turkish Purse Seiners at Valletta, Malta – 25.05.2024

The eastern bluefin (BFT) migration has supported valuable fisheries in the Mediterranean since antiquity. Initially based on hand lines and beach seines, these fisheries were dominated after the 16th century by tuna cages placed in the path of migrating tuna. After the expansion of purse seines and longlines in the Atlantic (in the 1950s) and […]

Maltese Fortifications – Saint Anthony’s Battery at Qala, Gozo

One of only two surviving batteries on Gozo that was built by the Order of Saint John between 1731 and 1732 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands is the SAINT ANTHONY’S BATTERY at Qala. It was built by the Order of Saint John on the eastern […]

Yachting – 1985 built Yacht EXPLORA at Malta – Q4 of 2023.

Another Feadship yacht was seen at Malta , this time the 46.63 metres motor yacht EXPLORA of which was spotted berthed at the former Medserv Base now called Manoel Island Marina. She was built in 1985 and launched as the ENTERPRISE IV, SEA KINGDOM for few months but was renamed SEA AMENITY, again for few […]

Fishing Vessels – Italian purse seiner S. RAFFAELE

One of the Italian purse seiner that used to be seen during the Blue Fin Tuna (BFT) Season was the 1974 built S.RAFFAELE which on radio vhf she was called as SAN RAFFAELE. She was built at Cantieri Navali Codecasa at Viareggio with yard number F23 as S.RAFFAELE for Cooperativa S. Michele based at Cetara, […]

Maltese Fortifications – Fort Saint Elmo at Valletta Part 1

One of the Fortifications full of never ending history around the Maltese Islands is FORT SAINT ELMO (in Maltese as FORTI SANT’ IERMU) , situated at Valletta. Building it started in 1552 and it stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort […]

Passenger Ships – PALOMA I

One of the Polish built ships originally bound for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the 1980 built ferry DMITRIY SHOSTAKOVICH from a Class of 7 as Project B492/B493 by Stocznia Szczecinska im Adolfa Warskiego Warskiego in Szczecin, Poland. She was the lead of her class which she was named for the Soviet era Russian composer […]

Tugboat – British built GINISIS III

A 62 year old lady that was still afloat since August, 2020 named PANAGIA SOUMELA at Foron Bay (Lipasmata), Drapetsona, Piraeus in Greece was seen berthed at Flagstone Wharf, Grand Harbour, Malta back to 1998 as GINISIS III. She was launched as STRANTON at P.K. Harris & Sons Ltd, Appledore in England as yard number 114 […]

Ferry News – Grandi Navi Veloci linking Malta with Palermo – January 2021.

The Italian Shipping Company established in 1992 Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV) started a connection of ferry service linking Malta with Palermo. On Saturday 16th January, 2021 at 1515 hrs the 1994 built ropax AF MARINA entered Grand Harbour, Malta for the first time coming from Palermo via Messina Straits. She was built by Cantieri Navali […]