WIGHT Shipyard Co has built four ferries simultaneously at its yard in Cowes, for a leading Maltese tour operator.

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

Jo Daly, chief operating officer, said: “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.

"This is testament to the outstanding team that made such a quick completion possible while still achieving the same high build standards and attention to detail that we have become synonymous with.”

Valletta’s Grand Harbour is both steeped in history and a geological site of significant interest dating back to prehistoric times where many of the ancient wharfs still exist.

Creating a vessel that could operate within these parameters was led by One2Three Naval Architects, the clients, and the design team at Wight Shipyard.

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

Wight Shipyard specialises in the build of lightweight ferries with the subsequent benefit of lower fuel burn.

Meticulous attention is paid to the weight of every element of the materials and equipment used on the builds, which has led to outstanding weight reductions on all four of the ferries offering substantial fuel savings.

The two new-build 20m harbour catamarans will replace existing vessels which already service the historic harbour.

They are designed to be a slower harbour waterbus for frequent stopping in ports surrounding the sheltered waters, designed for optimum efficiency achieving speeds of between 8 to 10 knots, with a top speed of 20 knots.

It can carry 197 passengers and three crew.

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 old existing vessels which transport commuters between Malta, Gozo and Comino.

The main aim is to move commuters and tourists quickly in and out of different locations around the coast and offer commuters flexibility and comfort.

They can carry 298 passengers and four crew.

It is anticipated that current traffic congestion around Malta will be eased by large volumes of people using water transport instead of cars or buses.

Despite the pandemic, the builds were received in good time and on budget.