New Malta-Sicily link on the horizon as Ragusa Xpress completes test run

The Ragusa Xpress, a new catamaran service linking Malta to the Marina di Ragusa, has completed a test run between Valletta and Sicily this morning.

PG Group majority shareholder Paul Gauci, who owns the service as well as the 750-berth marina in a corporate set-up distinct from the supermarket, was aboard the vessel as it completed crucial tests on which the authorities’ green light to start operations depends.

Ragusa news portal RagusaOggi.it stated that the service is expected to start in late spring 2024.

Ragusa Mayor Peppe Cassì was at the harbour observing the test, and was quoted as saying that the service is “a starting point that will allow us to further connect the two islands with clear benefits for the Ragusa and Iblean territory”.

Former Mayor and current representative in the Sicilian Regional Assembly, Nello Dipasquale, described the successful test as “a further step forward for our community,” adding that “the service to and from Malta by catamaran will lead to a deseasonalisation of the territory. It is another gateway that will bring development and growth in a period of crisis.”