Oral history of the Malta Dockyard: Joe Mifsud

Entering the dockyard-Reasons for joining 

(00:30) He joined the dockyard in 1982 and worked there until 26th September 2008. He started as a laboratory technician and then he moved to the planning and ship services office. 2 years before joining the dockyard, he worked as a student pharmacy technician at St Luke’s. However, he then saw a vacancy for a laboratory technician at the Drydocks. He applied and was called for an interview. He was accepted and on the first day he was taken around the dockyard, by Piju D'Ambrogio, who worked at the Laboratory.

He recalls that a day before, heavy winds moved the crane at No6 dock, causing it to de-rail towards the dock head. He was then assigned to the laboratory. The first 6 months he assisted the experienced laboratory personnel Joe Saliba and Joe Dalli, and from time to time being assigned some minor work to do on his own.

(03:00) About a year later, the yard had a work-load increase. A Libyan tanker, the Ras Lanuf was in the yard for repairs. At the same time in No.4 Dock, there was the Cunard Countess, which was a passenger ship, used as a hospital ship during Falkland war. The Cunard Countess was in the yard for major repairs, which involved a lot of gas testing work. Furthermore, the laboratory section was also responsible for photography work, analytic work of metals, and chemicals onboard of the ship. They also had to check every now and then the ship due to the repairs in hand, especially in the generator room.

Safety-Accidents 

(06:30) The Cunard Countess was also grit-blasted. Something abnormal was that the bottom ballast tanks carried jet-fuel, and when the ballast tanks were drained and the jet fuel was absorbed by the spent grit on the drydock floor. When the workers started burning on the shipside, the sparks falling on the grit impregnated triggered a fire on the drydock bottom that affected the ship. Eventually the decision was to open the dock valves and partially flood the dock, which stopped the fire.

(07:30) When the super tanker ‘Ras Lanuf’ entered the yard with major repairs. He remembers that ship had a large quantity of sludge in the middle tanks. The experienced laboratory technicians were all assigned to the Cunard Countess. So, he was assigned as a laboratory technician, to this tanker, which gave him a lot of experience.

Education-Interesting training and skills

(08:30) Mifsud mentions that he experienced several works while working there. He adds that when the Port Chemist was not available, he or one of his colleagues went outside the harbour on the tanker to issue the permit to enter the harbour, either directly to the yard or at the Ricasoli tank cleaning station.

By time, tanker systems were improved with the introduction of an inert gas system. This meant that the tanks although not gas-free, had an oxygen level under 8%.

(12:00) He recalls when the Shell tankers entered the shipyard. These tankers had major works. Practically in all parts of the vessel. Other major work was carried out on the Russian ships, mostly with the rudder. He also worked on Libyan ships, including Toletela, which had major grounding damage. He also recalls another major work on the tanker ‘Rover’, in No.4 Dock, with the renewal of the bulbous bow. It had three deep tanks and one of them was an ‘L’ shape. There was a fire during the burning of the structure. 

Safety-Health and Safety procedures 

(14:00) Entering the dockyard-Trades (From approval to the departure of a vessel) (14:10) They had several instruments in order to check their work, but they had a pump known as draggers tubes, which checked hydrogen sulphide, or other chemicals which are carcinogenic. He worked on a very organised Belgian ship, and other Algerian tankers, which were tricky to work with.

Safety-Health and Safety procedures 

(16:00) Every time a ship is entering the dockyard directly, they issued a certificate prior to entering. If the certificate is done outside harbour, it was valid for four hours until it moors. If a ship is entering the Ricasoli Cleaning station, there is no need for a certificate.

He explains the different procedures for issue of certificates, and some examples of different conditions that he encountered. 

Entering the dockyard-Trades (From approval to the departure of a vessel) 

(20:30) In June 1990, he moved to the Ship Movements planning office, and he states that the work was completely different. He had drawings showing the draft available at every jetty of the dockyard. They had to co-ordinate for the drydocking of the ship with dock-master and the drawing office who made the docking plan relative to the ship to be docked.

They also had to co-ordinate every move with the Harbour pilots and the Tugboats. This involved factors such as size of the ship, weather conditions and any other conditions that affected the move.

When the ship enters the yard, which could be moored afloat or directly to the drydock, they co-ordinated the services that the ship requires, such as a gangway, shore supply of electricity, sea-water, fresh water, etc. 

(24:15) During the work, temporary electric lights were supplied to the working areas. When the work was on tankers, they supplied intrinsic lights, which are safer in case there is gas in the area. During the movements of ships entering / leaving the shipyard, they had to take in consideration of the other movements within the harbour, and more recent the movements at the free-port. Winter, bad weather conditions hindered the moves. This sometimes affected the Dockyard commitments on deadlines with its clients. 

(26:15) He finished working at the dockyard on 26th September 2008. He spent the next seven years and half working in shipping with an agency, which had nothing to do with the work done at the dockyard. Afterwards, he joined Heritage Malta. 

Education-Projects 

(26:45) In the Ship Movements Office they had a wall-board showing the dockyard site plan. They used to make cardboard cut-outs of the ships repairing in the yard, which were put on the dockyard site plan so as to have an updated visual of the ships’ position in the yard. They also had registers, which showed the characteristics of every ship. One main data was the IMO number, which was unique for every ship. They were responsible to the senior shiprepair manager. The movements Office kept a record of all the ships that entered the yard from the 1960s onwards. The records arrival date, pilot, number of tugboats it had, any accident occurred, movements, etc.