New Malta to Sicily catamaran link launched by Ragusa Xpress

Ragusa Xpress has announced the start of a new catamaran service between Malta and Marina di Ragusa, with an inaugural trip taking place on Saturday ahead of the official launch.

During the inaugural trip on Saturday, the vessel carried people with special needs who had been invited to take part in the journey.

The new catamaran link comes after Maltese businessman Paul Gauci led a group of investors to purchase the tourist port in Marina di Ragusa, located in the south-east of Sicily. Gauci is the owner of PAMA Shopping Village and co-owner of PAVI Shopping Centre.

Last year, BusinessToday, sister newspaper of MaltaToday, reported that the service was expected to follow the planned takeover of the marina by Gauci’s group.

The Marina di Ragusa port was originally developed after Tecnis, an Italian consortium, was granted a 60-year lease in 2005. The project received €30 million in EU funding.

The Ragusa Xpress has the capacity to carry up to 430 passengers and 21 cars. The crossing between Grand Harbour in Malta and Marina di Ragusa is expected to take around one hour and 45 minutes.

The catamaran service will begin on Sunday, 18 May, with the first trip departing at 6:30am and the last trip set for 7pm. Starting from tomorrow, trips will be operating on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with trips set to increase on 29 June.

To offer more convenience, Ragusa Xpress launched their website, which hosts the schedule and other information. Those interested on the trip can visit https://ragusaxpress.com/