During the third quarter of 2026, sea transport between Malta and Gozo registered increases in trips, vehicles and passengers, when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025, the NSO said Tuesday.
Sea transport between Malta and Gozo
Between July and September 2026, a total of 14,417 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 2,141,312 passengers. September was the busiest month recording a total of 4,830 trips or 33.5 per cent of total trips for the quarter.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
A total of 1,654,505 passengers travelled between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the third quarter of 2026, a decrease of 3.3 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025. The highest number of passengers, 573,847 or 34.7 per cent of the total for the quarter, was recorded in August. When compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the number of vehicles increased by 1.0 per cent, totalling 606,745.
The number of trips during the third quarter amounted to 9,286, an increase of 0.5 per cent over the same period in 2025. August registered the highest number of trips, 3,140 or 33.8 per cent of total trips for the quarter.
During the third quarter, vehicle traffic originating from the Mġarr terminal was highest on Sundays and Mondays, while passenger traffic peaked on Sundays and Saturdays. On the other hand, vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was highest on Fridays and Saturdays, while passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was also busiest on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
During the third quarter of 2026, a total of 2,991 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 343,046 passengers. When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the number of trips increased by 5.8 per cent and the number of passengers decreased by 9.1 per cent. September registered the highest number of trips - 1,028 or 34.4 per cent of total trips for the quarter, while August registered the highest number of passengers - 118,878 or 34.7 per cent of the total for the quarter.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Sliema via Buġibba
During the third quarter of 2026, 1,067 trips were operated on each of the Buġibba-Mġarr and Sliema-Mġarr routes, while 1,073 trips were operated on each of the Mġarr-Buġibba and Mġarr-Sliema routes. Passenger volumes increased in September compared with the previous two months across all four routes. The Sliema-Mġarr and Mġarr-Sliema routes registered the highest passenger numbers during this quarter, carrying 42,803 and 42, 811 passengers, respectively, while the Buġibba-Mġarr and Mġarr-Buġibba routes carried 29,010 and 29,137 passengers, respectively.