The police have arrested a man in connection with their investigations into a telephone call which late yesterday claimed that there was a bomb on the Virtu' Ferries catamaran Jean de la Valette.

The call, which turned out to be a hoax, was made by a caller in Malta to police headquarters at Floriana when the large catamaran Jean de la Valette was about to leave Pozallo, Sicily.

All 160 passengers and 30 vehicles were disembarked and an intensive search was made, including a search of luggage. Nothing suspicious was found but the ferry's departure was delayed by some four hours until 11.45 pm.

It arrived safely at Grand Harbour 1.15 a.m.

Sources said that the hoax may have been meant to delay the ferry in order to enable a late passenger to arrive.

Joe Micallef, director of Micallef Joe Travel, whose clients were on the catamaran, praised the company for the professionalism shown in the way it handled the matter.

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