It’s Here! Largest Catamaran In The Mediterranean Arrives In Malta To Join Virtu Ferries Fleet
Anyone planning on travelling to Sicily with Virtu Ferries sometime soon is in for a treat; their new Catamaran M/V Saint John Paul II has just arrived in Malta.
It’s been named a Significant Ship of 2018 by RINA, The Royal Institute of Naval Architects founded in London all the way back in 1860. So it’s safe to say they know what they’re talking about. And the M/V St John Paul II boasts a whole host of exciting features that sure do make it a pretty significant ship.
1. It can carry around 1,000 tonnes
Which is so heavy that it can’t even be converted into kilograms. If you try, it will tell you that it weighs 1e+6kg, which means that the number is too large to compute.
2. It has a capacity of 900 passengers
But there are 1,134 seats on board, which means you’re guaranteed your own personal space on the ship even if it’s totally packed.
138 of those seats are placed outside, split up between two separate decks. It also has space for 167 cars (or 23 large trailers) in the garage.
3. It is the second largest high speed catamaran in the world
It’s also the fastest one currently operating in the Mediterranean.
It has a cruising speed of around 70.5km/h. That might not sound too fast for us speed freaks here in Malta, but when you compare it to the 22km/h that the Gozo Ferry travels, you realise that it’s pretty freaking fast.
4. It joined around 50 other ships on RINA’s “Significant Ships” list
Every year, the Royal Institute Naval Architects publish a select list of “the most innovative and important commercial ships” in the world that year.
At the moment, there are well over 50,000 ships working around the world, so that’s pretty impressive.
5. It makes roughly two trips between Malta and Sicily a day
That means it makes a minimum of 672 trips from Malta to Sicily and back every year.
This is the seventh ship to function under the operation of Virtu Ferries since the company was established over 30 years ago, and it was designed specifically to withstand Mediterranean weather conditions.
Virtu Ferries will be holding on open day on March 10th between 10am and 6pm
The public will be able to view the vessel ported at the Passenger Terminal in Marsa, and there will be typical Maltese and Sicilian food and wines available for tasting.
