Cottonera is a land of sea. The unprecedented development during the 16th century and the eventual intense exploitation all the way to the late 20th century, were driven by the prevailing geographic configuration, namely the sheltered Bormla creek and the two slender peninsulas of Birgu and Isla. Jointly, these comprise an ideal context for the flourishment of naval base embraced by a cluster of interdependent and scrupulously defended cities. Furthermore, the greater context of the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour equates a notable natural resource which earned Malta a prominent place in the leading central Mediterranean navigational routes from the very onset of the classical era.

The relevance of Malta in the history of navigation of the landlocked sea made a quantum leap with the arrival of the Order of St John in 1530. The Maltese harbours, in particular the creek of Bormla, metamorphed from a mere hub of corsairing into the nucleus of a maritime force which is endorsed by the nobility of the Catholic West. Following its settling down in Malta, the Order invested heavily in its fleet since all allies and foes were planted overseas. Besides, the fleet of the Order played an intrinsic role in the survival of the Order due to geographic limitations of the Maltese Islands and their inability to generate the required resources including the annual subsistence requirements. Naturally, this spearheaded the development of the harbour facilities in Bormla creek, including capacious facilities for the building and maintenance of seacraft, and complementing storage facilities.

Notwithstanding the departure of the Order of St John in 1798, the international relevance of the Maltese harbours far from lessened. Indeed, the annexation to Great Britain in 1800, triggered an even more momentous chapter. Malta was soon adapted as base of the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet, and following the loss of Majorca in 1802, the local harbours proved to be the major hub of the said Fleet’s operations. Likewise, the industrial revolution was in full swing, and seacraft technology was advancing at a sustained pace. By default, harbour facilities were also to be constantly upgraded.

This scenario triggered the development of the drydocks, namely enormous troughs below the surface of the sea equipped with a mobile flank to allow the entry and exit of seacraft. Once safely parked inside the dock, the entrance was sealed, and the volume of water trapped therein was pumped out to grant unhindered access to the sides and base of the seacraft. Along the years, the Malta Dockyard was equipped with seven huge troughs of the sort. Works on the first specimen at Bormla seafront were taken in hand in 1847. When completed that same year, it proved to be the only Royal Navy Dock beyond Great Britain. Within the next decade, this dock was enlarged to accommodate two vessels, and was thereby renamed Dock 1 and Dock 2. Four additional docks were built along the west flank of Isla between 1861 and 1909. In turn, these were complemented by a series of huge workshops and warehouses, and by capacious ancillary facilities for the thousands of employees engaged by the Royal Navy.

The eminence of the Malta Dockyard assumed outstanding proportions during the dreadful confrontations between the superpowers, in particular the two World Wars. Nevertheless, every beginning has an end. The intimate and long-lasting relation between the Royal Navy and the Malta Dockyard reached a point of no return by the late 1950’s. The 1956 Suez Canal crisis marked the progressive withdrawal of the British Navy from the Mediterranean and the handing over of the surveillance role to the United States Sixth Fleet. Naturally enough, the fate of the Malta Dockyard looked increasingly unfavourable, and the livelihood of thousands of families was in serious jeopardy. To this effect, the Malta Dockyard was handed over to Messrs C.H. Bailey (Whales) in 1959 to diversify into commercial shipping.

Messrs Bailey managed the Malta Dockyard for nine years. In 1969, the Government of Malta took back the reigns, and in 1975, it undertook the construction of a 7th dock with the financial and technical support of the Republic of China. Significantly, this deemed to be the most capacious dry dock in the Mediterranean. In 1979, then, the running of the Malta Dockyard was entrusted to a worker’s council, but the increasingly challenging conditions of the sector resulted in the accumulation of unsustainably high debts. As a result, the Government of Malta liquidated the Malta Dockyard in 2010 and leased out extensive parts of the facilities to the Italian company Palumbo Shipyards. Likewise, Docks 1 and 2 and the immediate environs were turned into open public spaces and in the American University of Malta, respectively.