Sea transport between Malta and Gozo
Between October and December 2022, a total of 9,566 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 1,397,409 passengers (Table 1). October was the busiest month recording a total of 3,325 trips or 34.8 per cent of total trips for the quarter (Tables 3 and 7).
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
A total of 1,314,039 passengers travelled between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the fourth quarter of 2022, an increase of 23.2 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2021. The highest number of passengers was recorded in October – 508,840 or 38.7 per cent of the total for the quarter. When compared to the previous year, the number of vehicles increased by 12.9 per cent, totalling 485,191 (Tables 2 and 3).
The number of trips during the fourth quarter amounted to 8,886, an increase of 4.8 per cent over the same period in 2021 (Table 2). October registered the highest number of trips – 3,074 or 34.6 per cent of total trips for the quarter (Table 3).
During January-December 2022, both passenger and vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. On the other hand, from the Mġarr terminal, passenger traffic was highest on Sundays and Saturdays, while the highest number of vehicles were recorded 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 fourth quarter of 2022, a total of 680 trips were carried out carrying a total of 83,370 passengers (Table 6). When compared to same quarter in 2021, the number of trips and passengers decreased by 75.1 and 29.8 per cent respectively. December registered the highest number of trips – 258 or 37.9 per cent of total trips for the quarter – while October recorded the highest number of passengers – 36,926 or 44.3 per cent for the quarter (Table 7).
Annual Perspective: 2022
Including both the Gozo Channel ferry service and the fast ferry service, during 2022, the number of trips went up by 2,286 or 5.9 per cent, when compared to 2021. Vehicle movements between the islands increased by 233,186 or 13.5 per cent, over the previous year, while the number of passengers went up by 1,243,112 or 27.9 per cent (Table 1). During 2022, July recorded the highest number of trips (3,892), while August recorded the highest number of passengers and vehicles, with 634,335 and 198,795 respectively (Tables 3 and 7).
Map 1. Distribution of trips between Malta and Gozo during Q4/2022
Chart 2. Distribution of passengers by route between Malta and gozo during Q4/2023
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-December
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Chart 4b. Vehicles to and from Ċirkewwa by day of the week
January-December
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Chart 5a. Passengers to and from Mġarr by day of the week
January-December
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Chart 5b. Passengers to and from Ċirkewwa by day of the week
January-December
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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: 09/01/2019-31/01/2019, 06/02/2019-13/02/2019, 07/03/2019-08/03/2019, 25/11/2019-02/12/2019 and 06/01/2022-10/02/2022.
MV Ta’ Pinu: 06/01/2020-10/02/2020.
MV Nikolaos started operating on 13/06/2019.
MV Nikolaos was put temporarily out of service as from 27/04/2020-02/07/2020 and 25/04/2022-29/05/2022.
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 of 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.
- During the fourth quarter of 2022, the total number of vehicles and passengers increased by 12.9 and 17.9 per cent respectively, while the number of trips decreased by 14.7 per cent, when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2021.
- October registered the largest share of trips between the two islands during the quarter under review.
- During January-December 2022, both passenger and vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. On the other hand, from the Mġarr terminal, passenger traffic was highest on Sundays and Saturdays, while the highest number of vehicles were recorded on Sundays and Mondays.
- December registered the highest number of trips between Mġarr and Valletta – 258 or 37.9 per cent of total trips for the quarter – while October recorded the highest number of passengers – 36,926 or 44.3 per cent for the quarter.
