Therefore, in the late 19th century, when the Municipality of Genoa built a district of commercial docks, the oldest of these was given the name of the ancient colony.

In the late 1990s, the municipality decided to establish the seat of the future maritime museum of Genoa in the Galata district.

Opened in 2004, the museum is located in the Palazzo Galata, whose renovation was designed by the Spanish architect Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra.

In addition to a natural-scale reproduction of a Genoese galley, the museum houses several interactive rooms which help visitors understand what it meant to go to sea in different eras.

Other rooms hold portraits of Christopher Columbus and Andrea Doria as well as precious world maps and ancient portolans which can be consulted using virtual navigation.

The museum attracts many school field trips, and its proximity to Genova Principe train station and Darsena metro stop making it conveniently accessible.

Since 26 September 2009, the diesel-electric submarine Nazario Sauro (S 518), launched in 1976 by Fincantieri di Monfalcone shipbuilders, has been moored at the dock in front of the Museo del mare.