The mv Maria Dolores has been delivered by shipbuilders Austal Ship to owners Virtù Ferries and is now on its long way from Fremantle, Western Australia to Malta.
The vessel carries 600 passengers in three separate lounges, two tourist and one club class, and 65 vehicles including 10 trucks/TIR/coaches. The Maria Dolores will berth at the passenger terminal at the Valletta Waterfront and will be open to the public before entering service to Pozzallo, Catania and Reggio Calabria.
It left Fremantle on Tuesday calling at Cocos Island and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, Aden (Yemen) and finally the Suez Canal with stops in Suez and Port Said. The Maria Dolores will call at Pozzallo before crossing over to Malta.