Economic and other related implications of harbour conditions (1901-1908) with special reference to the breakwater's construction

Abstract

Malta lies in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea. As such, for ages Malta's only contact with the outside world had to be through the sea. Ships provided the necessary link which was vital for the survival of a cultured people, which was far from self-providing. But ships need good harbours - and these were one of the assets by which nature endowed Malta. Since time immemorial Malta has been a potential strategic centre. Malta's central position would have been frivilous had the island lacked the necessary sheltering facilities for the ships supervising the Mediterranean lake. This latter has been the arena of the world's greatest cultures... and military powers. These lest were not merely the fruit of lust for national engrandisement. Their roots went deeper. Military strength gives control over countries; over people and their lands' resources. Military strength implies financial strength. Under the British flag Malta's sole role was that of a military base. It was out of military considerations that around the turn of the 20th century it was realized that a breakwater at the entrance of the Grand Harbour had become an urgent necessity. For not only had the fleet increased so much that accommodation for all was difficult but also the invention of torpedo-boats had rendered Malta's defence rather shaky. But such a massive technological feat could not help having economic implications, which in turn influenced other areas of Maltese life at the time [...].