MV Jean de La Valette

Jean de La Valette departing Malta's Grand Harbour in 2012
History
Malta
NameJean de La Valette
NamesakeJean Parisot de Valette
OwnerVirtu Fast Ferries Limited
OperatorVirtu Ferries Limited
Port of registryValletta, Malta
Route
OrderedApril 2009
BuilderAustal, Henderson, Western Australia
Launched25 April 2010
Maiden voyage4 October 2010
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypeHigh-speed catamaran
Tonnagedwt 850 t (840 long tons; 940 short tons)
Length
  • 106.5 m (349 ft) (overall)
  • 92.4 m (303 ft) (waterline)
Beam23.8 m (78 ft) (moulded)
Draught4.9 m (16 ft)
Depth9.4 m (31 ft)
Decks2
Installed power4 x MTU 20V 8000 M71L4 x 9,100 kW diesel engines
Propulsion4 x Kamewa 125SIII waterjets
Speed39 kn (72 km/h; 45 mph)
Capacity
  • 800 passengers
  • 230 cars or 342 truck lane metres and 45 cars
Crew24

MV or HSC Jean de La Valette (JDLV) is a high-speed catamaran ferry owned and operated by Virtu Ferries. Built by Austal in 2010, it is one of the largest vessels of its kind in the world. It operated routes from Malta to Pozzallo and Catania in Sicily, serving as a link between Malta and the rest of Europe, until it was replaced by the MV Saint John Paul II in March 2019. The vessel was leased to the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Ferry Service between 2019 and 2021 to serve as an inter-island ferry between Port of Spain and Scarborough. The vessel then returned to Malta to operate on its original route.