The Old Harbour of Chania is distinctly divided into two smaller bay areas. On the western side was the working harbour, where ships docked and cargo was loaded and offloaded. On the eastern side, protected by a long breakwater leading to the Lighthouse, were the military shipyards, called Neoria in Greek, and Arsenali in Italian. This is where ships were built, repaired and housed over the winter months, when the seas might be too rough. As ships got bigger, they would drop anchor outside of the port, and goods and passengers would be moved ashore with smaller boats. Overall, however, it required constant upkeep as its waters are quite shallow and it tends to silt up.