Oral history of the Malta Dockyard: John Cassar

(00:30) He joined the drydocks in December 1975 and that year 100 were selected to work in the Dockyard. He chose the trade of a shipwright. The apprenticeship was based on four years, and they had training in the main existing trades in the Drydocks including the drawing office.

Each training period lasted three months, and they used to be divided in groups and rotate from one trade to another.

After four years of apprenticeship everyone was allocated to his trade. The shipwrights’ trade test included welding and some bench-fitting work. During the apprenticeship they were always assigned with an instructor and safety of the apprentices was something considered as very important. They were evaluated on the reports of the instructors. Their trade was chosen by the apprentices themselves, however there was a limited assigned number for every trade, so it was not always possible for an apprentice to choose the trade he wanted because this depended on his order of merit in the entrance examination.

(06:00) He then started working onboard ships with the afloat section and describes it as a good experience, even though it was fearsome at first.  However, once they got used to it, it became routine work and they adapted to the work conditions and environment. 

Education-Employment pathways / local and foreign training opportunities 

(06:45) He states that he worked on major works, such as Vistafjord. He then felt that the kind of work was not made for him and he decided to apply for another position and there was a call for applications for a photographer in the Laboratory of the yard, for which he applied. He worked as a photographer for 8 years from 1982 to 1990. He mentions that he took photos for marketing and commercial requirements, photos of new recruits and for identity passes. Photos of ships repairing in the yard, as well as photos for insurance purposes of damaged ships or ships involved in sea accident. He then again felt that job had become routine and he decided to apply for an estimator, where he spent from 1990 to 2009 working. As estimator, he was involved in a lot of estimates, with limited time to complete. He worked with established clients and first-time clients. Cassar states that estimating work is a challenge, because the estimator has to understand as much as possible the client’s requirements.

The estimator has to be fair and it was important for him to find to calculate the correct values. This was because if the estimated price is too expensive, then there is a high chance that they will lose the client, whereas if they ask for a low price, then the yard will work at a loss. He also had to keep in mind that quotations in Nordic countries were expensive and quotations in Asian countries were low. 

Education-Interesting training and skills 

(13:45) The yard won a lot of major projects, example, Caronia, Vistafjord, Drilling Rigs, etc. Sometime there was the requirement to visit the ship and inspect the work before starting the estimate. Generally, an estimator and a ship manager went on these visits to inspect the work. The estimators were each specialised in their respective trade, so there were three sections of estimators which were the hull, engineering and electrical.

Once the estimators completed the estimate, this is sent to the commercial manager who decides on the rates to be applied for the final quotation to be sent to the Client. If the offer is successful and the Client confirms the definite stem, which means that the ship will be coming to the drydocks for repairs, the estimating department will extract from the estimate and list all the material required for the work involved. This is passed to the Stores who check availability and if any material needs to be ordered before the ship arrives. As an estimator he believes that he learned a lot and that it was very useful work for the shipyard that he carried out with pleasure. He regrets the fact that it was at that time when he had to end his career with the shipyard.

Life after the Dockyard-Finding a new job 

(21:15) When he had to leave the shipyard, he found another job as estimator with a civil engineering company. What he learned at the dockyard was very useful, because although the work involved was different, the way of thinking was similar.

During the time he worked with the private company, the drydock was taken over by Palumbo, who opened vacancies for estimators again in 2010, for which he applied and was accepted. He started work with another two ex-invoicers. The three of them worked together on quotations. They in fact, prepared quotations for Palumbo yard in Malta, as well as for his yards in Naples and Marseille. He states that the process of the work remained the same. They did major works too, example the ramps and lifts for Gozo ferries, which was a big job.

In 2015, Cassar realised that he was not having enough time with his family and that his work required a lot of effort. He decided to changed his job and started to work with Identity Malta, with the section of the EU residence card. Eventually he retired from there.

Family and Social Life-Friendships between workers 

(33:00) He states that the workers at the Dockyard always worked well with each other and supported each other. This was very different from what he found in a private company. He describes the workers of the Dockyard as part of the family.

Cassar says that at the estimating department they were not aware on the changes that were going on. As estimators, the deadlines were still there that they still had keep. From his department few people were changed, but from the shop floor there was a decline in the numbers.