Sea transport between Malta and Gozo: Q3/2024
- During the third quarter of 2024, the total number of trips and vehicles increased by 1.3 and 1.4 per cent, whilst the total number of passengers decreased, when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023.
- During January-September 2024, vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. At the Mġarr terminal, vehicle traffic was highest on Sundays and Mondays.
- During January-September 2024, passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. At the Mġarr terminal, passenger traffic was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays.
- August registered the highest number of trips between Mġarr and Valletta – 977 or 35.2 per cent of total trips for the quarter and the highest number of passengers – 120,220 or 37.5 per cent for the quarter.
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo: Q3/2024
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo: Q3/2024
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo
Between July and September 2024, a total of 11,999 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 1,977,544 passengers (Table 1). August was the busiest month recording a total of 4,099 trips or 34.2 per cent of total trips for the quarter (Tables 3 and 7).
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
A total of 1,657,345 passengers travelled between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 3.2 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023. The highest number of passengers was recorded in August – 578,090 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 1.4 per cent, totalling 588,664 (Tables 2 and 3).
The number of trips during the third quarter amounted to 9,226, an increase of 0.2 per cent over the same period in 2023 (Table 2). August registered the highest number of trips – 3,122 or 33.8 per cent of total trips for the quarter (Table 3).
During January-September 2024, passenger traffic from the Mġarr terminal was busiest on Sundays and Saturdays, while vehicle traffic was highest on Sundays and Mondays. On the other hand, passenger and vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays (Charts 4 and 5).
Chart 1. Passengers and vehicles crossing between Malta and Gozo
No Data Found
Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
During the third quarter of 2024, a total of 2,773 trips were carried out carrying a total of 320,199 passengers (Table 6). When compared to same quarter in 2023, the number of trips increased by 5.2 per cent and the number passengers increased by 20.5 per cent. August registered the highest number of trips – 977 or 35.2 per cent of total trips for the quarter and the highest number of passengers – 120,220 or 37.5 per cent for the quarter (Table 7).
Map 1. Distribution of trips between Malta and Gozo during Q3/2024
Chart 2. Distribution of passengers by type of transport between Malta and Gozo during Q3/2024
Chart 3. Passengers and vehicles to and from Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
July-September
No Data Found
Chart 4a. Vehicles to and from Mġarr by day of the week
January-September
No Data Found
Chart 4b. Vehicles to and from Ċirkewwa by day of the week
January-September
No Data Found
Chart 5a. Passengers to and from Mġarr by day of the week
January-September
No Data Found
Chart 5b. Passengers to and from Ċirkewwa by day of the week
January-September
No Data Found
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.
MV Malita: 06/01/2022-10/02/2022 and 09/01/2024-30/01/2024.
MV Ta’ Pinu: 09/01/2023-02/02/2023 and 27/02/2023-02/03/2023.
MV Nikolaos was put temporarily out of service between 25/04/2022-29/05/2022, 18/04/2023-26/04/2023 and 15/02/2024-25/03/2024.
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 |
*The fast ferry service vessel, Gozo Express (Virtu Ferries) replaced San Pawl (Virtu Ferries) on 17/05/2022.
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.
