Wight Shipyard Co builds four ferries for Malta

Wight Shipyard Co (WSC) has achieved a UK first by building four ferries simultaneously at its yard in Cowes, IOW, for a leading Maltese tour operator.

The order, WSC’s largest ferry export order to date, consists of two 20m and two 33m lightweight ferries, designed by One2Three Naval Architects.

“We are proud of being able to produce four large ferries within a year, despite the restrictions and changes to working brought about by the worldwide pandemic Covid-19,” says Jo Daly, WSC’s COO. “This is testament to the outstanding team that made such a quick completion possible whilst still achieving the same high build standards and attention to detail that WSC has become synonymous with.”

The bespoke vessels for Captain Morgan Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Fortina Investments Ltd, have been created to be lighter and more fuel efficient than anything that the yard has built before.

WSC says it specialises in the build of lightweight ferries with the subsequent benefit of lower fuel burn, and that its meticulous attention to the weight of every element of the materials and equipment used on the builds has led to outstanding weight reductions, offering substantial fuel savings.

The two new build 20m harbour catamarans will replace existing vessels which already service the historic harbour cruise around the two natural harbours surrounding the capital city of Valletta and the 3-cities.

The 20m is designed to be a slower harbour waterbus for frequent stopping in ports surrounding the sheltered waters around the capital. It is designed for optimum efficiency achieving speeds of between 8-10 knots, with a top speed of 20 knots.

The two 33m medium speed vessels will service a new commuter/tourist hop-on hop-off service along the east coast of Malta as far as the island of Gozo. These vessels are also replacing a number of old existing vessels which transport commuters between the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino.