Creek Developments

Creek Developments plc is the operator of the Msida and Ta' Xbiex Marina, a popular base for local owners and visiting cruisers alike. The marina has 720 berths and takes pleasure craft up to 22 metres long, so it suits most family sailing yachts and motor cruisers rather than superyachts. Its central position is a large part of its appeal.

For a UK owner thinking of keeping a boat in the Mediterranean, or a crew planning a stop, this is the practical guide to how the marina works: berth sizes, arrival procedures, the rules for annual berth holders and the services you can arrange. On VisitMalta.co.uk the company appears in our directory of marina services in Malta.

A sheltered harbour at the head of the creek

The marina fills the inner creek between Msida and Ta' Xbiex, two waterfront towns on the edge of Marsamxett Harbour. Owners have valued it for a long time because it sits out of the prevailing north westerly winds, and the surrounding land gives good natural protection from other directions too. A breakwater at the entrance takes the sting out of any swell rolling in from the north east.

For navigators, the marina lies at 35 degrees 53.811 minutes north, 14 degrees 29.548 minutes east on the WGS 84 datum. A plan of the marina layout is published, and visitors are asked to look at it before entering. The capital is close by across Marsamxett Harbour, and our Valletta city guide covers what to see once you step ashore.

Berth sizes and who the marina suits

Most berths are aimed at boats between 11 and 17 metres. The largest group, 175 berths, takes craft up to 13 metres, followed by 132 berths for boats up to 14 metres, 123 for boats up to 12 metres and 97 for boats up to 17 metres. There are 89 berths for boats up to 11 metres, 43 for 10 metres and a handful of six berths for boats of 9 metres or less. At the top end, nine berths accept 18 metre yachts and just three take the maximum of 22 metres, while 29 and 14 berths cater for 16 and 15 metre boats respectively.

Space for larger and beamier boats is therefore tight, and that shapes the marina's policies on changing yachts, covered below. If you are still choosing a boat to keep here, the marina has its own yachts for sale page, and brokers listed with us such as FL Yachting Malta, a few minutes' walk along the seafront, can help you compare what is on the market.

Arriving as a visiting yacht

Visiting boats are welcome. Twelve guest berths are set aside on the breakwater at the marina entrance, and further berths on the pontoons are handed out to visitors as space allows. As you approach, ask the marina office for clearance and directions on VHF Channel 13 using the call sign Msida Marina; outside office hours a round the clock marina assistance line is staffed. The Marina Assistants will guide you in and take your lines.

Booking ahead is worth doing. A reserved berth means you are met on arrival, shown to your space and handed keys for the water and electricity points. Post can be held for you, and provisioning, bunkering and other services can be set up before you arrive so that your time ashore is not spent on errands. Boats that have already cleared into another Maltese port on the same trip do not need fresh clearance, although a call to the office before arrival is still recommended.

First time visitors should have passports or identity cards, current insurance and the yacht's registration papers to hand. A company owned boat also needs its Memorandum and Articles of Association, and a charter boat needs its leasing agreement. Planning the passage from home? Our guide to flights from the UK to Malta helps owners and crew who fly out to join a boat already in the marina.

Customs, immigration and travelling with pets

Yachts arriving from a Schengen country can go straight to their berth. The skipper then takes the crew list and everyone's passports to the Customs and Immigration Office as soon as practical after arrival; if you come in outside its office hours of 09:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, the following working day is fine. Boats arriving from outside the Schengen area, or carrying crew on non Schengen passports, must report to Customs and Immigration straight away, and out of hours that means clearing at the Customs House in the Grand Harbour, which is open around the clock.

Passports of sea arrivals are not normally stamped, so anyone planning to leave Malta by air should tell Customs and Immigration how they intend to depart. The Health Department also needs a declaration, which can be completed at the Customs and Immigration Office or on board if the department chooses to visit the yacht. UK passports are non Schengen, so British crews should plan on reporting promptly.

Cats and dogs can come too. Pets must meet the Pet Passport Scheme and be inspected by a Health Department vet before the yacht is allowed to berth alongside, and the marina provides a pets leaflet and application form setting out the current requirements.

Annual berth holders: buying, selling and changing boats

Annual berths are held under a Berthing Licence Agreement, and because space is limited the rules on replacing a boat are strict. A new boat that is the same size as the old one, or smaller, can take over the existing berth. If the new boat is larger, and especially if it is even slightly beamier, it goes onto a waiting list and stays on a temporary basis until a suitable annual berth comes free, with no promise about when, or whether, that will happen. The berth for the smaller boat must be given up before the bigger one arrives, and the Berthing Master has the final word on whether a yacht fits safely without inconveniencing neighbours. Owners are advised to write to the Berthing Master with the size and beam of a prospective boat, and to wait for written confirmation, before committing to buy.

When a yacht on an annual contract changes hands, the seller can sign a declaration that the boat is sold and the berth is no longer needed, and a new contract is drawn up for the buyer, who pays the remaining annual fees. To complete a transfer, bring copies of the bill of sale, registration and insurance in the new owner's name, your passport or identity card, and the company documents if the boat is company owned. All outstanding accounts must be cleared first. If the seller keeps the berth for a new boat of their own, the buyer takes the yacht on the understanding that it is berthed only temporarily.

Temporary berthing carries real limitations, even for a boat that has been in the marina for years. Temporary boats have no assigned space, can be moved often and at short notice, may be shifted to Pieta Quay in summer or asked to leave if space runs out, and are invoiced at the end of each month. Anyone relocating to the island with a boat will find wider background in our guide to moving to Malta from the UK.

Services for owners and crews

The marina office can point you towards a wide spread of services. On the water side these include bunkering, caretaker and guardianship arrangements for boats left unattended, repairs and maintenance, surveyors, insurance, and boat yard and towing services when a haul out is needed. Yacht charters and sport diving are also on the list, as are sewerage services.

Ashore, the office can help with provisioning from a nearby supermarket, laundry, taxis, car hire, hotel bookings and even concert and theatre tickets. Crew or guests who prefer a bed on land can browse our choice of hotels in Sliema and St Julian's, just round the coast. The marina also publishes a three day forecast for mariners, and our month by month Malta weather guide is useful when planning a season of cruising, perhaps out to the Blue Lagoon on Comino or across to the sister island described in our Gozo travel guide.

Mooring lines are maintained by the marina. Report a damaged or missing rope to the office straight away; it will be replaced at the next rope changing session, and a boat left in a dangerous position will be made safe in the meantime. Ropes heavy with marine growth are replaced, but if a rope only needs rinsing and you still want a new one, the charge is €75 per rope.

The company and the marina office

Creek Developments plc is a Maltese public limited company with its registered office at the marina. Its board is made up of Philip Attard, Etienne Bonello DuPuis, Patrick Gauci, Kevin Mercieca and Adrian Deguara, with Dr Austin Gauci Maistre as company secretary. Day to day, the marina is run by General Manager Sarah Gauci Carlton, with Sharmain Sammut Depasquale looking after accounts and Elisa Vella handling reservations and administration.

The office sits on the Ta' Xbiex side of the marina, on the ground floor of Crown Marina Apartments between Pontoon H and Pontoon I. It keeps full weekday hours except on Wednesdays, when it closes early in the afternoon, opens for a short session on Saturday mornings and stays closed on Sundays and public holidays. If you would like to book a visitor berth, ask about an annual contract or check which services can be arranged for your arrival, fill in the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will send your message on to the marina team.