It is probably Malta’s oldest enterprise. And judging by its kilometres-long sprawl of berths and six dry docks, nested between cliffs and walls on one hand and the sea on the other, it is also Malta’s largest enterprise. Until a few decades ago, it was also the one with the largest workforce. And it is the site of Malta’s worst industrial accident, when nine workers died after an explosion aboard the Um El Faroud, a Libyan tanker that was undergoing extensive repairs in its Dock No. 3, in February 1995. Today, the sprawling ship repair facility formerly known as Malta Drydocks is operated by Italian company Palumbo.
The students following their bachelor’s degree in work and human resources at the University of Malta benefitted from an educational visit to Palumbo Shipyards on Saturday 4 November, accompanied by Professors Godfrey Baldacchino and Manwel Debono. The visit included stops at the Machine Shop and alongside No. 6 ‘Red China’ Dock, where the students could witness repair work taking place first hand: from water blasting and robot-operated hull cleansing to machine tooling.
The visit was coordinated by Mr Joseph Calleja Palumbo Shipyards General Manager. Mr Mark Grech, Health & Safety Manager, guided the UM group and further briefing was provided by Mr Paul Magro, Foreman of the Machine Shop.
The bachelor’s degree in work and human resources is a 5-year, part-time evening programme. It is run by UM’s Centre for Labour Studies, in association with the Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy.
