The world's largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship, built as a replica of an 18th Century vessel, is to arrive in Valletta at noon on Friday.

Visitors will be welcomed on board The Götheborg, a 47m ship that is on a two-year voyage from Sweden to Shanghai.

Before mooring, it will announce its arrival with a gun salute that will be answered from Valletta's Saluting Battery.

The ship will be in Malta until Tuesday, when it will sail for Barcelona, the last stop on its itinerary this year.

Kristoffer Bennis, expedition director at Götheborg of Sweden, said it was the first time the vessel will visit Malta and that the crew have already been "overwhelmed" by the welcome. 

 "We are looking forward to beautiful days”, he said.

On each sailing, about 50 members of the public can sail along as deckhands. The professional crew consists of about 20 professional sailors, which means that there are between 70–80 people on board for each sailing leg. 

Malta will be the 12th destination on the ship's voyage. Photo: Adrian Nordenborg

The ship will continue to Asia in March and is expected to reach Shanghai by September next year.

It has already visited Helsingborg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, London, Bremerhaven, Lisbon, Málaga, Nice and Monaco. 

Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority said the ship would "bring added value to those tourists who will be in Malta on their holidays, while also serving as a new and unique attraction for locals."

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said the MTA has been proactive in diversifying tourism. 

Built in 2005, The Götheborg is a full 1:1 replica of an 18th-century Swedish East India Company ship that sank outside Gothenburg in 1745.

To go on board, tickets cost €15 and €7.50 for children aged five and over.