Virtu invests €75 million in new eco-friendly Malta-Sicily catamaran

A new Malta-Sicily catamaran is expected to be delivered to Virtu Ferries by the fourth quarter of 2018 in a €75 million investment.

The new passenger/vehicle ferry is expected to  further increase the current daily voyages schedule between the two islands.

Virtu said that it is also looking into further market driven route expansion. “A second vessel will also increase flexibility and reliability. The company is undertaking a number of initiatives to increase incoming tourism and better serve the Maltese and Italian business communities,” the company said in a statement.

The vessel will have a capacity of 900 passengers in four luxury lounges on two passenger decks and additional outside seating. The full span of the garage deck is designed to carry 23 heavy commercial trailers, equivalent to 490 truck lane metres or 167 cars.

Like the vessel Jean De La Valette, the crossing between Malta and Sicily will take approximately 90 minutes with the vessel cruisng at 38 knots.

The new vessel, built by Incat Tasmania Pty. Ltd, will reportedly use state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics and hydrodynamic free-running model test techniques, in line with the company’s emphasis on eco operations and fuel efficiency.

“The already well-proven Incat wave piercing catamaran hull design has been further developed to minimise fuel consumption, increase passenger comfort and sea-keeping performance, at the desired contract speed, in simulated sea conditions prevailing in the Malta Channel. This is in line with established Green Policies being recommended by the international maritime industry.”

The new ferry will be built under DNV-GL Classification Society Rules and will comply with IMO High Speed Craft HSC 2000, the Malta Flag Statutory Regulations and Italian Port State requirements. As with all other Virtu vessels, the new ferry will fly the Malta Flag.