“Growing up, I saw my father build this company from scratch with a lot of dedication and passion. It has truly been amazing witnessing what it took to get to where the Group stands now,” says John Balzan, Melita Marine Group’s newly appointed Director as well as Cyprus Country Manager and son of founder Pierre Balzan. 

Joining Melita Marine Group after Mechanical Engineering studies, John also trained in Germany with the prestigious engine manufacturer MTU now Rolls Royce Solutions, and worked his way up, familiarising himself with the different disciplines of his father’s organisation. Reflecting on the responsibility of “inheriting the company torch”, and his role in shaping its future as a second-generation leader, John says “I want to ensure that my father’s vision and all he has built is honoured as we move forward working side by side“

Looking at this legacy, what started out as a yachting agency in 1989 charted a different course when Mr Balzan senior spotted gaps in the maritime industry, specifically within the luxury and leisure marine niche. Acting on the observation that “superyachts were underserved in Malta at that time,” he set about steadily establishing a number of structures to comprehensively cater for the specific needs of the then superyacht community where a major superyacht was considered to be in the 35m to 40m range.

This mission was underpinned by two clear - and interconnected - principles. First of these would be the investment into a provision of a “self-supportive, one-stop-shop service”, retaining total project control by avoiding reliance on external suppliers. Second was the determination to build an impeccable reputation by delivering projects on time, staying within agreed budgets and guaranteeing “open book conversations with clients” – This was successfully achieved as Melita Marine Group and its Shipyard in Malta is widely recognised as one of the top deliverable facilities in the Mediterranean with substantial references in hand for a number of years now. In fact based on our research it is the only Maltese owned shipyard that is recognised for superyacht refit in Malta for yachts above 50 metres.

So then began the decisive and ambitious creation of an organisation where Pierre Balzan constructed a wide-ranging service portfolio across numerous sectors, extended its reach beyond Malta and grown a multi-million-euro capital and operating expenditure over 36 years. It is also today an organisation whose founder’s dream would “ultimately be to turn Malta and its facilities into a Maritime Centre of Excellence enticing the Maltese blue collar to be involved as they were in the past years where thousands of qualified people could be found in various competences in various maritime trades”.

Melita Marine Group became Malta’s distributor of MTU (one of the world's most recognised high-performance engines and propulsion systems brand today owned by Rolls Royce Power Systems) early in its trajectory in 1990 initially with Detroit Diesel Corporation. Following its 1993 origin, this side of the business was later expanded to Greece, Libya, and Cyprus. It now serves the Yacht, Commercial Marine, Defense (Land and Sea), Power Generation (including Sustainable Products) Mining, Oil and Gas as well as Rail industry sectors.

Acquiring various distributorships of world class brands “catapulted Melita Marine into the realm of superyacht shows,” enabling the company “to showcase its ability to bring superyachts into Malta, repair such vessels and get them back onto the water, becoming one of Malta’s first companies to do so,” John shares. Via the impressive Floating Dock at its Malta shipyard, Melita Marine Group handles superyachts up to 110 metres and offers an extensive gamut of refit services. These include - among others - metal fabrication, pipework, interior design, carpentry, joinery, painting and upholstery. Lifesaving equipment servicing, vessel storage, commercial diving and yacht marina operations in Malta and Greece are some of the other services also available within the Group.

A full-scale electrical department (comprising engineers, technicians and technical designers) executes design, installation and maintenance of complete electrical and automation systems including electronics and repairs. Comprehensive HVAC services provide full inspection and maintenance of air conditioning systems, sterilisation of air handling units and ventilation ducting and renewal of piping insulation. Finally, mechanical engineers deliver engine servicing, overhauling and repairing engine room equipment of all types. 

Further growth opportunities have followed in the form of opening of offices and workshops in France in 2025 expanding shipyard service CapEx. John reveals “the plan is to continue creating state of art facilities in the Med, also growing these services initially from Monaco and Marseille. It is another example of the group’s strong appetite to continually evolve and elevate its offering.

Earning client loyalty and market recognition for its high-profile yacht projects in various countries over the years – including some yacht painting superyachts projects in Italy – has strengthened the group’s credibility and value. Being awarded for its shipyard activities by the British Association Awards and the Italian Masters Association as well as various service awards during the years by MTU distribution business could legitimately be described as the icing and cherry on top of a seemingly many-tiered cake.

Meanwhile, the group is also active in the marina business via its Harbour Management Limited division. Currently operating a 260 berth marina in Gozo Mgarr, it is planning its 100 berth Greece marina facility to be opened in 2025.

A closer look at Greece shows that Melita Marine now operates one of the country’s largest mechanical engineering works, approximately 5000 square metres which includes a serious investment in an engine testing facility (dynamometer) of thousands of kilowatts, a critical device for testing overhauled marine engines. “ This has put the company on the map for possibly being the only private dynamometer owner operator in Greece.” 

In 2024, Melita Marine Commercial Divers was launched in Malta. This addressed another market gap: the possible lack of local companies fully certified to work in the complex and challenging inside harbour and outside harbour domains. Thanks to regulation and compliance being entwined throughout Melita Marine Group’s operations since inception, it has been able to successfully roll out this highly specialised service that includes underwater welding, hull cleaning, propeller repair,  anchor recovery as well as underwater pipeline and underwater construction.  In 2025 MCD is planning to enter the oil response business with a further investing into state of art products covering the nearby Mediterranean areas. 

Furthermore, the 2022 purchase of an automation company “enabled complete system integration in the marine and power generation fields,” combining technology and sustainability. While the Engineering division had already been packaging and exporting its own branded MPD generators and Marine division was already “integrating automation from bridge to propeller” via its own technical boards, this acquisition “additionally positioned the group with the challenge to also try and become a serious player in the power generation and sustainable industry such as BESS”.  Various activities, including the supply and installation of micro grids, help optimise industrial building management and offer a viable, self-sustaining alternative to relying on the national grids. “For us, it’s about doing what we can to improve the system,” John emphasises, adding that the company has previously assisted the Greek islands that have limited access to power.

Highlighting environmental importance in company stewardship, John confirms sustainability efforts are being increased in alignment with global maritime environment standards”. (The rebrand from Melita Power Diesel to MPD indeed reflected the company’s rapprochement with ESG priorities.) Recently, the Onsite Energy - Sustainable Solutions division head spoke at the Shore to Ship conference on the transformative potential of maritime ports as future energy hubs. Furthermore, the company is trying to introduce hydrocarbonated vegetable oil (HVO) as an alternative fuel in various industries already approved on MTU branded engines.

Looking ahead, John reveals that the future includes increasing the 200-strong workforce of “fantastic employees who share Melita Marine’s Group vision and trust the process“ to 250 by possibly 2026 by entering new markets and increasing its reach and service quality further in the existing markets it sits in. The group also intends to “push forward on bringing cutting edge technologies into today’s reality so that clients benefit from the latest innovations in power systems”. 

The main aim is to “reinforce the company’s position as a premier maritime and power generation service provider with a one-stop-shop structure and full engineering and system integration capability. And to do this while remaining a boutique service, customer focused and keeping the family business ethos central to how we do things,” John says, referring to the lessons learned from working closely with his father. 

“From the start, it has been about excellence, efficiency, reliability, and trust. We go above and beyond for our clients to give them what they need when they need it.” These commercial - and family business - values are woven into the fabric of the entire business team, the Melita Marine director concludes. “They haven’t changed and will continue to be upheld in the future as we evolve further”.