Wreck of the Xlendi

Before its final chapter as an artificial reef, the MV Xlendi had a long and storied career connecting islands. Originally launched in Denmark in 1955 as the MV Helsingor, she faithfully served Danish routes for decades. In 1990, she was purchased by the Gozo Channel Company and renamed, becoming a familiar sight as she ferried passengers and vehicles between Malta and Gozo. After years of service in the Mediterranean, the aging vessel was decommissioned with a new purpose in mind: to become an underwater attraction for the diving community.

In November 1999, the MV Xlendi was scuttled off the southern coast of Gozo at Xatt l-Ahmar. The plan was for her to settle upright on the seabed, creating a perfect wreck for exploration. However, the scuttling did not go as planned. The ferry quickly filled with water, capsized, and sank to the bottom, landing completely upside down at a depth of around 42 meters. Over the years, powerful winter storms have taken their toll on the inverted hull, causing the superstructure to collapse and the wreck to break apart, scattering debris across the sandy slope.

Today, the Xlendi offers a unique and challenging dive for experienced wreck enthusiasts. The most prominent features are her two large propellers, which point eerily towards the surface. Divers can explore the haunting, cavernous space of the inverted car deck and navigate the surrounding debris field. While she is no longer the intact vessel she once was, the fragmented remains of the Xlendi have created a complex habitat for marine life, making it a fascinating, if somber, exploration of a ferry's final, inverted resting place.