The Anadrian was ordered on behalf of the Maltese Government by the Crown Agents for the colonies in 1950 for dredging. The vessel was built by Ferguson Brothers Limited of Port Glasgow between 1951-52, and was launched on 8 May 1952 at a total cost of £80,000 which was paid by a grant from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund.

Weighing 300 tons, with a total length of 124' by 29' by 10', she was powered by a triple expansion steam engine and ancillary machinery. The Anadrian left Glasgow in July 1952 with a crew of twelve, reaching Malta after stopping at Ceuta in Spain on 21 July. This was the Anadrian’s longest voyage, since the rest of her life was spent in Maltese harbours.

The Anadrian started dredging works on 21 March 1953 in an area off Bridge Wharf near the Marsa power station. Its peculiar name was derived from the names of the two children of the then Minister for Industry and Commerce, Dr T. Caruana Demajo, who were called Anna and Adrian.

After thirty-six years of service the Anadrian was left lying at Marsa Creek, from where many items went missing. A committee for the setting up of the Malta Maritime Museum showed interest in the dredger’s engine and machinery since the technology of steam had by then virtually vanished from ships. Such equipment was therefore rare in the whole world and it was a unique survivor in Malta.

A hall at the ground floor level of the MMM, originally the mill rooms of the British Naval Bakery, was completely refurbished in order to accommodate the engine room of the Anadrian. Work on dismantling the vessel and all the machinery, bolt by bolt, by museum personnel started in 1989. The items included pressure gauges, the telegraph and the compass, the wheel, lanterns, lifebelts, tools, boilers, condensers, steel and brass pipes, air vents, the electrical switchboard, the diesel generator, and heat exchanger among others. The heaviest and largest of which was the triple expansion steam engine, weighing around 12 tons. The boiler’s facade was the last item to be taken out of the vessel in 1998. The vessel itself was officially scrapped in 2001.

Restoration work on the artefacts started as from 1990. The entire work consisted of dismantling, cleaning, chipping of rust, repairing, painting, reassembling, and piece by piece calibration and testing. A scaled model of the Anadrian was also prepared by Mr Joseph Abela, the model-maker of the Maritime Museum.

The Anadrian hall was officially opened to the public on the 31st October 2003.

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