To Catania in style

BYM News, a leading boating & marine news service, reports on a new luxury ferry service for passengers travelling from Malta to Italy:

Mediterranean ferry passengers on the Malta-Italy route are soon to enjoy a stylish new delivery with the introduction of “Maria Dolores”, an Austal Auto Express 68 metre vehicle-passenger ferry for Virtu Ferries. Set to replace the existing 52 metre ferry, “Maria Dolores” will have additional capacity to carry 600 passengers and 65 cars or 95 lane metres of trucks plus 35 cars on a vehicle deck with an impressive clear height of 4.6 metres..

This new vessel will operate on routes from Malta to Italy; Valetta to Catania in 3 hours, to Pozzallo in 90 minutes and Reggio Calabria (mainland Italy) in 4 hours. Designed specifically for these routes, with aft and side ramps for rapid turnaround and a Moulded Depth of 6.3 metres (approximately 20% higher than comparable size Austal ferries), the ferry will greatly expand the service to mainland Italy and meet growing demand.

Virtu Ferries Managing Director, Francis Portelli spoke of the improved service the new ferry will bring to the Maltese business and tourism communities.“..We believe by introducing this fast ferry, not only will we be able to reduce the costs of imports and exports and provide a year round scheduled service for Maltese industry, but also offer the coach and camper tourism sector a previously unavailable high quality connection from mainland Europe.”...