Sullivan Maritime

Sullivan Maritime is a shipping and port services company based in Valletta, working from offices at St Barbara Bastion. The business was set up in 1996 and has grown into an agency that handles cargo of many kinds, looks after vessels calling at Maltese ports and moves cars for private and corporate customers. Its guiding idea is to move clients' world forward, and the day to day reality is paperwork, port operations, bookings and a lot of coordination between ships, shippers and the authorities.

For most UK readers the interesting parts are practical ones: how freight reaches the islands, how a car is shipped when you relocate, and who to talk to. On VisitMalta.co.uk the company appears in our directory of courier and freight services in Malta, and this page sets out what it does and how to ask about it.

Who Sullivan Maritime is and where it came from

The company was founded in 1996 by Ernest Sullivan, who had spent 15 years in the family firm before deciding to set up his own shipping organisation. His father, Lawrence Sullivan, and the wider Sullivan family have worked in Maltese shipping for four generations, and over a century the family has also operated in hospitality and finance. Shipping, though, is the sector that has become tied to the family name.

Ernest Sullivan is chief executive. Over the years he has chaired the Association of Ship Agents for 12 terms, he is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport, and he was appointed Honorary Consul for the Republic of Indonesia in Malta in 1993. His sons Nigel and Karl are already in the business, which gives the company a continuity that many clients value in a trade built on long relationships.

The firm works in a highly personalised way, with attentive customer service built on a specialised documentation system, efficient handling across a broad range of services, and competitive rates for companies and individuals alike. It has been trading since 1996 and its clients range from international shipping lines to private customers moving a car. Its mission statement is plain: serve different customers with their different needs, deliver on time, stay professional, build the business client by client and keep the company cost effective, reliable and efficient.

The head office is in Valletta, which our Valletta guide covers in full, and a short walk around the capital is a reminder of why the port matters. If you are in town for a meeting, the Upper Barrakka Gardens look out across the Grand Harbour, the very stretch of water where much of this work takes place.

Cargo handling and booking

Cargo is the core of the business. Sullivan Maritime has experience in moving many types of cargo from any origin to any destination, and its team handles the booking and the documents that make a shipment legal and traceable. A dedicated booking centre looks after over-the-counter services, and the business developed an in-house online booking application called FastBook, which customers use to log in and manage cargo bookings.

The commercial side covers general cargo operations, container control, cargo booking and sales. Members of the team have specialist knowledge of shipping documentation and of export trade to Libya and Japan, including the use of letters of credit, which is the bank-backed payment arrangement often used in international trade. Nigel Sullivan is responsible for the Euro Med short sea market and for the Maltese trailer operator business, working closely with the Grimaldi Group, one of the company's principals.

Cargo moves through ports of the kind you can see in our Three Cities guide, where Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua face Valletta across the water. For a business customer it helps to know who is handling the paperwork, the vessel booking and the quayside arrangements, and Sullivan Maritime positions itself to do all three.

Port and marine agency

Alongside cargo, the company is one of the local agents for port and marine services, acting for ship owners and operators whose vessels call at Malta. The agency runs on a 24 hour, seven day basis, so a vessel arriving at an awkward hour still has a contact on shore. The port and marine department is led by Kurt Pisani, who joined in 2012 and also has a leading role in business development.

In general terms, an agent is the local representative of a vessel and takes care of the formalities of a port call on the owner's behalf. The company serves ship owners worldwide and assists vessels throughout the year, though it does not publish exact figures on its website.

Visitors who enjoy the harbours can see the other side of this work from the shoreline. The Vittoriosa guide describes the old waterfront at Birgu, and the history of the harbours is bound up with the Knights of Malta, whose fortifications still frame the quays.

Car transport, collection and storage

Sullivan Maritime also moves vehicles. Its car transport service offers secure and safe shipping with a full collection and storage service, which suits someone shipping a car in or out of the islands, a dealer moving stock or a business relocating staff. Photographs on its site show vehicle carriers in the Grand Harbour and a car transporter lorry at work.

For UK residents planning a move, the car is often one of the biggest logistical questions. Our Malta relocation guide explains the wider steps, and a shipping agent can advise on the shipping leg itself. The business does not publish car transport prices or timescales, so ask about your particular vehicle, route and dates through the enquiry form.

Other projects listed on the site include work connected to Malta Public Transport buses and Kappara Junction. The site gives only titles for these, so for details of what was handled, put the question to the company when you enquire.

The people and the principals

Beyond the Sullivan family, the board and management team include Philip Sammut, a certified accountant who has been chief financial officer since 2001; Marco J Spiteri Binett, a director with more than 36 years in shipping and the firm's specialist in documentation; Norman Aquilina, a director who is group chief executive of Simonds Farsons Cisk plc; and Karl Sullivan, a director since 2021 who specialises in the booking centre and vessel operations. Jeanne Borg has been board secretary since 1996.

Managers include Manuel Portelli, senior manager, who in 2018 was also appointed senior manager of Malta Motorways of the Sea, part of the Grimaldi Group of Naples; Michael Cachia, head of the commercial department; Mario Micallef, booking and documentation manager; Cynthia Farrugia, finance manager; and Francesca Bugeja, who manages HR and business operations.

Grimaldi Group is one of the principals the company acts for, alongside further principals and partners. The business keeps strategic links with the key organisations involved in shipping both in Malta and abroad. For readers interested in the wider economy, our financial services in Malta page shows how maritime sits beside other major sectors.

Getting in touch and getting to Valletta

The office is at 21/22 St Barbara Bastion in Valletta. Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm, and the company runs separate teams for the booking centre, operations, commercial, business development, finance and invoicing, so it helps to say which topic your message concerns.

If you are travelling to Malta to meet a shipping contact, our flights to Malta guide covers the routes from the UK, and hotels in Valletta lists places to stay within walking distance of the capital's business streets. For wider reading, our guide to Malta gives the background.

When you are ready, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the business.