Oral history of the Malta Dockyard: Angelo Attard

Entering the dockyard-Reasons for joining 

(00:30) In 1967 he finished his Form 5 and had his wish was to become a doctor. However, he did not have all the required certificates, as he lacked the English Language exam. His father did not want him to stay at home and do nothing, and at that time applications for apprentices at the Dockyard were issued. He filled in the application forms and then sat for the intelligence, scientific and the engineering test. In August his father showed him the examination result that he ranked first in the Dockyard exam. 

(03:45) He went to the Dockyard and his first contact with the dockyard was the induction week, where the instructors took them around the shipyard telling them what each department did. They started the apprenticeship training, and during the first year they had training on the basics of all the trades in the dockyard. In the second year he went to the polytechnic, and Attard also states that during the second year, only two apprentices went to the work-study office, which gave him the first idea of management. This office measured and defined systems and procedures to carry out work more efficiently.

 

(06:30) With the school qualifications he obtained he managed to reduce the apprenticeship period from 5 to three years. He attended lectures on the trade and sat for the final exam and obtained the full technological certificate which qualified him enter the University. 

Education-Employment pathways / local and foreign training opportunities

(07:45) On completion of his apprenticeship, he was sent to work to Manoel Island, and he was shocked because he never dealt with yachts. At Manoel island he was sent to work on fibreglass. After some time, he wrote a letter to the personnel manager and after two weeks the general manager of Manoel Island, Brian Wicks, told him that he was being sent to study yacht and boat yard management. The course was in Southampton with a duration of three years. When he arrived at Southampton, the college noted that he already had experienced in the industry and his course was reduced to 2 years, which he further reduced by completing the modules in one instead of 2 years. The subjects he studied in Southampton were planning, accounts, taxation, industrial psychology, corporate law, law of contract, etc. 

(11:15) When he returned back to Malta, management was not aware of his studies and he found himself at the drawing office. At that time the dockyard was building the floating dock and were also working on a project of the SBM IFRIKIA. And for him this was a milestone in his career, because eventually the Dockyard had about 30 major projects from this company. He was proud for being part of this project working with the project manager Joe Sant.

(14:30) After he was sent back to Manoel Island as a yacht repair manager. He remembers the boat ‘La Strega’ which was a slow cruiser, and had a renewal of the complete deck. He also remembers the Libyan patrol boat ‘Arraid’ (?)’, that the government brought to Malta for the fight against contraband. On this boat they changed all the bottom plating and full overhaul of all machinery.

 

Education-Employment pathways / local and foreign training opportunities

(15:30) During his time at the Manoel Island, the Government issued a notice asking for applicants for courses in Naval Architecture at the University of Sevilla/ University School in the University of Cadiz in Spain. He was interested and applied. Attard states that he and other four colleagues started learning Spanish in Malta, and continued learning in Madrid. They passed a very difficult time doing sacrifices during their studies, time, language and also financial one.   

(16:30) When they came back to Malta the government showed the intention to form a new building section in the Dockyard, in order to prepare for the establishment of the Malta shipbuilding Company. For him, John Calleja, Salvu Brincat and Charlie Montefort were the three most important people he had in the Dockyard. Mr John Calleja told him that, considering his background, he wanted him to join the Commercial section.  

(18:45) When he was in the commercial section, since he studied British law, he made most of the contracts which were checked by Dr. Hugh Harding who, at that time, was the lawyer of the Dockyard. He then began attending delegations and discuss the quotations and the contract. The first time he went abroad to do this work, was with the company IMODCO in Los Angeles. From then onwards he built up confidence. When the discussions on the Russian ships started, he was chosen to accompany Salvu Brincat and Joe Abela who was the General Manager of the Malta Shipbuilding to discuss the contract with the Russian delegation. On the 13th December they signed the contract, and he continued to follow the work progress.

(21:30) When the Malta Shipbuilding progressed, there were changes being done, and Mr Salvu Brincat moved to the Malta Shipbuilding, with him, the Malta Drydocks New Building section were also moved there. There they continue working on more projects.

Sometime before moving to the Shipbuilding yard, he recalls that the authorities wanted to make a marketing effort in Saudi Arabia. However, due to some circumstances and the heavy competition that there was, this did not last long and after 6 months he returned back to his job in Malta.

(25:45) Back to the Malta Shipbuilding, he was involved in a contract to build a specialised chemical tanker for Norwegian owners. This tanker had tanks to carry cargo of acid, and involved a lot of stainless-steel welding. They managed to win the contract. During that time Albert Mizzi took over from Salvu Brincat as Chairman. He recalls having at the shipyard executives’ meetings, and at one stage he criticised the drawing office organisation. The consultants at that time, who were A & P Appledore, used to call the office PPEB, with a concept that at the same time that drawings are started, production planning is also taken into account.

Angelo looked into the problem, and he discovered about 70 workers who were dissatisfied with their work. This was because it covered only the technical side rather than the psychological side of the workers. He explains his views and how in his position tried to motivate the workers by including them in the work and do designs on the ship. 

(34:30) There was a time where he had some unfair pressure from the management. This was due that since he was a member of the Chamber of Engineers, and he was doing various voluntary work, he was headhunted, and was offered an important job. After which he had other jobs involving project management.