Virtu Ferries – Marine Evacuation System Drill – 18.01.2025

Around 1030 hrs of Saturday 18th January, 2025 the Virtu Ferries Incat built High Speed Craft (HSC) SAINT JOHN PAUL II started a Marine Evacuation System (MES) emergency drill that was due to be done on Friday 17th but due to ESE Force 7 wind, it had to be postponed. The marine evacuation system (MES) is […]

Former Military – Yacht PLAN B at Malta

One of the former naval vessels that was given a second life, converted as the luxury yacht PLAN B is the former Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hydrographic Ship HMAS FLINDERS A 312. She was built by HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. HMAS FLINDERS  was commissioned into the RAN in 1973, and was used […]

High Speed Craft – SPEED JET

Last 17th May, 2023 we issued an article regarding the towage of SPEED JET by tug DUKE II in the Mediterranean Sea last October  – https://maltashipphotos.com/aerial-photography-duke-ii-towing-high-speed-craft-speed-jet-06-10-2022/ And today we have for you readers the history of this lovely Austal Built AUTO EXPRESS 82… Built in 1996 as FELIX I for the Danish Ferry Operator Scandlines […]

State Visit – Pope Francis at Gozo – 02.04.2022

Malta welcomed His Holiness Pope Francis during his Apostolic visit to the country from Saturday 2nd April to Sunday 3rd April of which on Saturday 2nd April he visited the sister island of Gozo. The island of Gozo was wearing Holy Week dress and Vatican City Flags mounted on road roundabouts, balconies, roof flagpoles etc […]

Virtu Ferries – MARIA DOLORES at Mgarr Harbour, Gozo – 22.03.2022.

Two years after the largest catamaran operating in the Mediterranean and the second largest in the world SAINT JOHN PAUL II entered Mgarr Harbour, Gozo last Monday 2nd March, 2020 it was the turn for the Austal built 68.4 metres long High Speed Craft MARIA DOLORES to enter Mgarr Harbour, preparations for the Pope Francis Apostolic Visit […]

Delivery – 96 metre High Speed Craft INCAT 050 at Malta – July 2008

On Friday 11th July,2008 afternoon the 96 metre High Speed Craft INCAT 050 entered Grand Harbour, Malta after finishing her charter to the United States Navy as JOINT VENTURE HSV-XI.  INCAT 050 was one of six 96 metre (WPC 96) catamarans built by Incat, Australia in 1998. Under the name DEVIL CAT, she operated for a […]