…. "the arrival of steam propulsion opened a new chapter in the history of Maltese maritime trade. The port of Valletta became an important bunkering station and this position was further strengthened with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
…
The ‘Dragon’ was one of the earliest steam tugboats operating in the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett. She
arrived at Malta from Newcastle early in December 1855 and on arrival she was immediately placed in service under the command of Captain William Donkin. A circular distributed to the commercial community by the owners of the ‘Dragon’ makes interesting reading. ( First International Merchant Bank 2002 Annual Report.
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