- During the third quarter of 2023, the total number of trips, vehicles and passengers increased by 3.6, 1.6 and 10.5 per cent respectively when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2022.
- During January-September 2023, vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. At the Mġarr terminal, vehicle traffic was heaviest on Sundays and Mondays.
- During January-September 2023, passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. At the Mġarr terminal, passenger traffic was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays.
- July registered the highest number of trips between Mġarr and Valletta – 969 or 36.7 per cent of total trips for the quarter, while August registered the highest number of passengers – 96,202 or 36.2 per cent for the quarter.
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo
Between July and September 2023, a total of 11,840 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 1,977,673 passengers (Table 1). July was the busiest month recording a total of 4,073 trips or 34.4 per cent of the total trips for the quarter (Tables 3 and 7).
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
A total of 1,711,887 passengers travelled between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the third quarter of 2023, an increase of 7.6 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2022. The highest number of passengers was recorded in August – 597,290 or 34.9 per cent of the total for the quarter. When compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the number of vehicles increased by 1.6 per cent, totalling 580,346 (Tables 2 and 3).
The number of trips during the third quarter amounted to 9,203, an increase of 0.7 per cent over the same period in 2022 (Table 2). July registered the highest number of trips – 3,104 or 33.7 per cent of the total trips for the quarter (Table 3).
During January-September 2023, passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays, and vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was also busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. On the other hand, from the Mġarr terminal, passenger traffic was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays, while vehicle traffic was heaviest on Sundays and Mondays (Charts 4 and 5).
Chart 1. Passengers and vehicles crossing between Malta and Gozo
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Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
During the third quarter of 2023, a total of 2,637 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 265,786 passengers (Table 6). When compared to the same quarter in 2022, the number of trips increased by 14.9 per cent and the number of passengers increased by 33.5 per cent. July registered the highest number of trips – 969 or 36.7 per cent of the total trips for the quarter, while August registered the highest number of passengers – 96,202 or 36.2 per cent for the quarter (Table 7).
Map 1. Distribution of trips between Malta and Gozo during Q3/2023
Chart 2. Distribution of passengers by route between Malta and Gozo during Q3/2023
Chart 3. Passengers and vehicles to and from Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
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Chart 4a. Vehicles to and from Mġarr by day of the week
January-September
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Chart 4b. Vehicles to and from Ċirkewwa by day of the week
January-September
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Chart 5a. Passengers to and from Mġarr by day of the week
January-September
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Chart 5b. Passengers to and from Ċirkewwa by day of the week
January-September
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Additional Tables and Charts
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: 04/01/2021-11/02/2021.
MV Malita: 06/01/2022-10/02/2022.
MV Ta’ Pinu: 09/01/2023-02/02/2023 and 27/02/2023-02/03/2023.
MV Nikolaos started operating on 13/06/2019.
MV Nikolaos was put temporarily out of service between 25/04/2022-29/05/2022 and 18/04/2023-26/04/2023.
4. The table below illustrates the passenger capacity of each fast ferry service vessel:
| Vessel | Passengers |
|---|---|
| Your Wisdom (Gozo Fast Ferry Ltd) | 296 |
| Your Faith (Gozo Fast Ferry Ltd) | 296 |
| Gozo Express (Virtu Ferries Ltd)* | 308 |
| San Franġisk (Virtu Ferries Ltd) | 316 |
*The fast ferry service vessel, Gozo Express (Virtu Ferries Ltd) replaced San Pawl (Virtu Ferries Ltd) on 17/05/2022.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. The data is not normally subject to revision.
8. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately.
9. More information relating to this news release is available in the Sources and Methods.
10. Statistics in this news release should be interpreted in the context of the COVID-19 situation.
11. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
