Virtu Ferries' new catamaran is taking shape on the way to becoming one of the biggest in the world. 

Hull 089, the new 110-metre RoPax ferry on order from Virtu Ferries is taking shape at the INCAT shipbuilding yard in Derwent, Tasmania.  

The wave-piercing catamaran will carry 900 passengers and 23 heavy commercial trailers, equivalent to 490 truck lane meters or 167 private vehicles.  

The vessel will be named after Saint John Paul II to recall the day when the pope had travelled from Gozo to Malta on  Virtu’s catamaran San Frangisk on 27th May 1990 escorted by a flotilla of small boats.

At 1,000 tons deadweight Saint John Paul II will be the largest RoPax Catamaran operating in the Mediterranean and the second largest in the world. The vessel is being built in accordance with the EU Maritime Green Policy, which seeks to promote an innovative, competitive and environmentally-friendly maritime industry, Virtu said. 

The ferry is due for delivery by November 2018.