Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith is one of the longest-established shipping and logistics names in Malta. The business first opened its doors in 1848 and today combines port agency, freight forwarding, express courier, customs clearance, warehousing and insurance under one roof, from a head office on Triq Hal Farrug in Luqa that sits right beside the island's only international airport.

For a UK reader the appeal is straightforward: if you are moving household goods or a pet to Malta, sending a parcel, running a business that imports or exports, or looking after a yacht or commercial ship that calls at the island, this is a single point of contact for the paperwork and the practical arrangements. On VisitMalta.co.uk the company appears in our directories of courier services in Malta and insurance providers in Malta.

A company with long roots

Its reputation rests on understanding the nature of the business. Having started in 1848, it has kept pace with changing markets by investing in new technology and in its own staff, and it counts well-established companies in Malta and overseas among its clients. The values it highlights are integrity, loyalty and reliability, and it promotes flexible, cost-effective solutions for projects where timing can shift without warning.

A major milestone came in 2009, when it was appointed a full liner agent for Maersk Line, and it is now the exclusive agent in Malta for the world's largest container shipping line. Readers interested in how shipping fits into the wider economy can see our overview of financial services in Malta. Its operations cover the main Mediterranean basin, including Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya. In March 2026 it also announced a strategic investment, approved by the Malta Competition and Consumer Authority, to join Fastdrop in creating a middle-mile and last-mile delivery operator.

Every client is given a dedicated Client Relationship Manager, so you deal with one person throughout the life of a project, supported by departmental managers when needed. The head office is placed close to the Grand Harbour, Malta International Airport and the Malta Freeport terminal, and a worldwide network of international freight forwarders extends the reach beyond the Mediterranean.

Freight, courier and customs

The cargo division covers freight forwarding by road, air and deep-sea container, along with packing, documentation and marine insurance. Services include airfreight, groupage for smaller consignments, full container loads, trailers, transhipments and project cargo, and the team handles conventional and bulk cargo too, including berth bookings, craneage, stevedoring and local transport. Trained staff are certified to verify and export hazardous goods, which need specific documents for each hazard class.

Thomas Smith is a fully licensed customs broker with a direct electronic link to local customs, so it can prepare formalities on your behalf. For most export shipments you will need a commercial invoice and a packing list, and the company produces the bill of lading, though extra papers may apply depending on the goods. Its free-zone bonded warehouses can manage and clear goods within the EU and re-export them to different consignees, and it has quayside storage access at Valletta and the Malta Freeport.

An express courier arm handles parcels and documents, and a quotation form on the website is used for personal or commercial shipping and customs clearance. Pet owners relocating from the UK will be interested in the live animal service, which is backed by IATA and ATA certification and designed for safe international travel. Anyone planning a permanent move can pair it with our guide to relocating to Malta from the UK.

Specialist logistics extends to conferences and exhibitions, film and entertainment productions, aerospace, oil and gas cargo, third-party logistics and a 24/7 project cargo service. Information is shared throughout a project so that principals, suppliers and team members stay informed and the right documents reach the right contacts.

Port agency and ship support

Port agency is the traditional heart of the company. It supports vessels calling at every port in Malta and also in Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, and it can supply port pro formas and quotations on request. A full-time agent can attend your ship for the whole stay, and services run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Most ports and terminals pause cargo operations on a few dates, including Good Friday, 1 May, 15 August, Christmas and New Year, though exemptions can be requested and the Marsaxlokk oil terminal works all year.

The list of services is long: crew changes and visa processing, bunkering and bunker surveys, fresh water, provisions, garbage disposal, hull cleaning, diving, tank cleaning, medical assistance, repairs and engineering, life-raft servicing, safe anchorage, ship-to-ship operations and vessel chartering. Crew changes can be arranged outside Valletta Grand Harbour, with about one hour from the airport to a vessel alongside a berth and about two hours to a ship waiting in Valletta roads. Visa processing for crew takes two working days.

Malta's central position makes it a natural bunkering stop, with offshore areas including Marsaxlokk, Qawra and the sea off Popeye Village. If you have visited the cliffs and coves around Popeye Village in Mellieħa, you will have seen the same waters where ships take on fuel. Tramp agency covers commercial and passenger vessels that call at Malta on an ad hoc basis, and Liner Agency covers scheduled container services.

Superyacht agency and navigational charts

Yacht owners, brokers and captains can use Thomas Smith as an appointed agency around the clock. The team arranges bespoke shore support and concierge services, crew visas and accommodation, provisions, freight and mail for the yacht and crew, marina and berth reservations, clearances, immigration formalities, yacht registration and bunkering. It also organises hotel and restaurant bookings, tourism arrangements, excursions, private jet rental and duty free supplies. Hotels, if you need them, are handled elsewhere: see our hotels in Valletta for places near the harbour.

Repairs and maintenance are coordinated afloat and in dry dock, from underwater surveys and ultrasonic thickness measurement to blasting, painting, engine overhauls, carpentry, electrical repairs and hull cleaning. The marinas the company works with include Grand Harbour Marina, Ta' Xbiex, Manoel Island, Portomaso, Marina di Valletta, the Royal Malta Yacht Club, Birgu, Kalkara and Mġarr. For more on the areas around the harbour, read our guide to the Three Cities and our Vittoriosa guide.

The company is also the official Malta stockist and correcting agent for the Hydrographic Office of the British Admiralty. It supplies charts for the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, Black Sea and Red Sea, along with navigational publications and notices to mariners.

Cargo insurance and claims

Thomas Smith also operates as an insurance agency and broker, and it offers all-risks cover for cargo. Carriers limit their liability under their own trading conditions, so insuring your goods is strongly recommended, particularly for valuable or fragile consignments. If you want to compare other providers, browse the wider insurance listings in Malta, which includes a nearby independent brokerage.

If a shipment arrives damaged, you should contact the operations manager at once and send a written notice of claim with verifiable documentation of the loss within 15 days of delivery. The company's standard trading conditions set out the rest of the process, so read them before booking. This is practical information, not legal advice, and you should check the terms that apply to your own shipment.

Where to find Thomas Smith and how to start

The head office is at Level 3, Polidano Group buildings, Triq Hal Farrug in Luqa, beside Malta International Airport. The airport lies 9.5 km from Valletta port, about 10.5 km from centrally located hotels and about 12.3 km from the Malta Freeport at Marsaxlokk. Valletta, the capital and main harbour, is covered in our Valletta city guide. Malta has only one international airport, and visitors travelling with cargo or a pet will usually pass through it.

Most projects begin with a conversation, since the best way to understand a shipping requirement is to talk it through. Tell the team what you are moving, from where to where, the likely dates and any special handling, and a quote can follow. A word of caution: the company has no association with a business called Reshipto. For a quote, a meeting or a vessel call, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Thomas Smith, who will reply to you directly.