Gaudos was delivered to the Gozo Channel Company in February 2001, the second of a trio of identical sisters (the others being Malita and Ta'Pinu) for the lifeline service between the company's namesake island and neighbouring Malta. Locally built at the Malta Shipbuilding Yard, the three ships were the key elements of a fleet mordernisation strategy which saw the replacement of older second-hand ships which had been used since the establishment of the state-owned company in 1979.
A degree of controversy affected the naming of the ship and her sister, Malita. It had been planned to name the pair Gaulos and Malta, however these names were already taken on the Maltese Register so the names actually used were chosen instead. The company was then forced to issue a statement clarifying the matter and explaining that, following research made in Malta, Gaudos and Malita were legitimate old names for Ghawdex and Malta. |
