Bolstered by the conviction that the mighty Venetian fleet reigned supreme, military engineers and officials in Candia attached relatively little significance to the seaward section of the fortifications.

The seaward defences consisted of buttressed curtain walls, built as elsewhere of revetted earthworks. Embrasures were created in the parapet to protect the city from naval assaults. The openings on the eastern side were part of the original Venetian design, whereas those to the west were added by the Turks.