Sea transport between Malta and Gozo: Q1/2026
- During Q1 2026, the total number of trips, vehicles and passengers decreased by 9.0, 5.8 and 1.1 per cent, respectively, when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025.
- Between January and March 2026, vehicle traffic originating from the Mġarr terminal was highest on Sundays and Mondays, while passenger traffic was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays. Both vehicle and passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa were busiest on Fridays and Saturdays
- March registered the highest number of trips between Mġarr and Valletta, 39.3 per cent of total trips for the quarter, and March registered the highest number of passengers travelled, 45.2 per cent of the total for the quarter.
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo: Q1/2026
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo: Q1/2026
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo
Between January and March 2026, a total of 9,579 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 1,511,708 passengers (Table 1). March was the busiest month recording a total of 3,678 trips or 38.4 per cent of total trips for the quarter (Tables 3 and 7).
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
A total of 1,321,358 passengers travelled between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 0.5 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025. The highest number of passengers, 517,824 or 39.2 per cent of the total for the quarter, was recorded in March. When compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the number of vehicles decreased by 5.8 per cent, totalling 445,351 (Tables 2 and 3).
The number of trips during the first quarter amounted to 7,743, a decrease of 5.7 per cent over the same period in 2025 (Table 2). March registered the highest number of trips, 2,956 or 38.2 per cent of total trips for the quarter (Table 3).
During the first quarter, vehicle traffic originating from the Mġarr terminal was highest on Sundays and Mondays, while passenger traffic was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays. On the other hand, both vehicle and passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa were busiest on Fridays and Saturdays (Charts 4 and 5).
Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
During the first quarter of 2026, a total of 1,836 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 190,350 passengers (Table 6). When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the number of trips decreased by 20.6 per cent and the number of passengers decreased by 11.4 per cent. March registered the highest number of trips – 722 or 39.3 per cent of total trips for the quarter, and the same month had the highest number of passengers – 86,121 or 45.2 per cent of the total for the quarter (Table 7).
Chart 4. Vehicles to and from Mġarr and Ċirkewwa by day of the week
Chart 5. Passengers to and from Mġarr and Ċirkewwa by day of the week
Tables
Tables
Methodological Notes
1. The source of the data included in this release is administrative information provided by the Gozo Channel Co. Ltd and Transport Malta.
2. The fast ferry service operating between Mġarr and Valletta commenced on 1 June 2021.
3. The table below illustrates the vehicle and passenger capacity of each Gozo Channel vessel:
| Vessel | Vehicles | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| MV Gaudos | 72 | 900 |
| MV Malita | 138 | 900 |
| MV Ta' Pinu | 138 | 900 |
| MV Nikolaos | 160 | 650 (Summer) / 350 (Winter) |
Periods when vessels were out of service for docking purposes:
MV Gaudos: 08/11/2023-30/11/2023 and 08/01/2026-05/02/2026.
MV Malita: 09/01/2024-30/01/2024.
MV Ta’ Pinu: 09/01/2023-02/02/2023, 27/02/2023-02/03/2023 and 07/01/2025-06/02/2025.
MV Nikolaos was put temporarily out of service between 18/04/2023-26/04/2023, 15/02/2024-25/03/2024, 05/05/2025-19/05/2025 and 05/03/2026-17/03/2026.
4. The table below illustrates the passenger capacity of each fast ferry service vessel:
| Vessel | Passengers |
|---|---|
| Your Wisdom (Gozo Fast Ferry) | 296 |
| Your Faith (Gozo Fast Ferry) | 296 |
| Gozo Express (Virtu Ferries) | 308 |
| San Franġisk (Virtu Ferries) | 316 |
5. The two service providers (Gozo Fast Ferry and Virtu Ferries) have merged and are providing service under one company, namely Gozo High Speed.
6. Data for passengers travelling between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa comprises foot and vehicle passengers and vehicle drivers. The fast ferry service does not allow for the transport of vehicles thus, only foot passengers are included.
7. Different approaches to data collection are being applied at the Mġarr and Ċirkewwa harbours with regards to the Gozo Channel service. Data source for the Mġarr side includes Automated Ticketing System (ATS), while data for the Ċirkewwa side is dependent on the manual clicking system.
8. The data is not normally subject to revision.
9. More information relating to this news release is available in the Sources and Methods.
10. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
11. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
12. For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
