The circular harbour's berths can be read as maintenance capacity without assuming they held the entire Carthaginian navy at once. This interpretation is disputed among specialists in the period. A maritime empire still needed ships elsewhere to move forces, including outside the main campaigning season. Its naval and military organisations continued to exist through winter, even when Mediterranean weather restricted operations. Dockyard capacity therefore need not equal total fleet strength.
Notable Point · 30:33-33:18
Carthage's naval infrastructure and readiness
Carthage's harbour may indicate maintenance capacity without fixing the size of its whole fleet, an interpretation disputed among specialists.