Delivered, much later than scheduled, from the Malta Shipbuilding Co in 2002, the Gozo Channel Company's Malita was the final member of a three-ship fleet rebuilding scheme which saw the older second-hand ships which had operated for the company since 1979 being mostly phased-out.
A degree of controversy affected the naming of the ship and her sister, Gaudos. It had been planned to name the pair Malta and Gaulos, 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, Malita and Gaudos were legitimate old names for Ghawdex and Malta. |
