The new catamaran mv Jean de la Valette, to be used on the Malta-Sicily route, which was commissioned by Virtu Ferries in March last year, will be delivered by the builders, Austal Ships Ltd of Henderson, near Perth, Western Australia, in August.
Two members of Virtu’s Marine Technical Department, chief engineer Manuel Azzopardi and superintendent electronics engineer Patrick Buttigieg, are the on site representatives of the owners and have been at the Henderson shipbuilding yard since October.
The e60 million catamaran, 197 metres long and 24 metres wide, will be used on a daily basis all year round. The Jean de la Valette ranks among one of the five largest catamarans in the world.
The construction of the hull is now 95 per cent complete and the four MTU engines were installed last week. The vessel will be launched, in Henderson Bay, on 23 April when the lengthy process of outfitting, including that of the passenger lounges, will commence.
The Jean de la Valette has been designed specifically for the Malta-Sicily route, based on feedback from passengers over the years. The vessel will have a seating capacity of 800, intentionally reduced from 1,000 to give a spacious seating arrangement for better passenger comfort. The VIP lounges are on the upper deck, catering for 110 passengers with separate hospitality accommodation for small groups.
The vessel’s vehicle garage is designed to carry 135 cars or 45 cars and 342 truck lane metres, which accommodates 23 trailers. Virtu Ferries are in contact with coach tour operators, who have Sicily or southern Italy on their itinerary, with a view to attract them to Malta.
The Jean de la Valette is certified to carry dangerous cargo; this together with a schedule of daily multiple return voyages will cater for the need of the Maltese commercial, industrial and tourist sectors. Sicily is increasingly becoming a popular tourist destination and, with a population of six million, is a potential source of incoming frequent short stay tourists to Malta.
The vessel's Rolls-Royce water jet propulsion system is driven by four MTU diesel engines of 9,100kW each (50,000 horse power), giving a cruising speed of 39 knots (approximately 70 kilometres per hour).