According to a report published by the National Statistics Office, there were 11,159 sea trips between Malta and Gozo totalling out to over 1.72 million passengers from April to June 2023.
These statistics show an overall increase from the same period of time last year, with a 7.9% increase in trips and a 16.6% increase in passengers. There was also a 4% increase in vehicles. June turned out to be the busiest month from the examined time period, accounting for 35% of total trips.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
Reports from the NSO also show that there were over 1.54 million passengers travelling by sea between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the second quarter of 2023, which is an increase of 14% compared to the same quarter of 2022.
The month of April recorded the highest number of passengers totalling to 528,924, which was 34.3% of the total for the quarter. The number of vehicles also saw an increase compared to last year, increasing by 4% and totalling to 518,198.
The total number of trips amounted to 8,905 which is an increase of 2.7% from last year. The highest number of trips were registered during the month of May with the number being 3,069, which was 34.5% of the total trips for the quarter.
Between April and June, Saturdays and Fridays were the busiest days for passenger traffic originating from Ċirkewwa, whilst Fridays and Saturdays were the busiest in terms of vehicle traffic.
In regards to the Mġarr terminal, Sundays and Saturdays were the busiest days for passenger traffic, whilst Sundays and Mondays were the busiest for vehicle traffic.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
The NSO also reported that a total of 2,254 sea trips were carried out during the second quarter of 2023, totalling to 182,787 passengers. The number of trips saw an increase of 35.5% when compared to the previous year and an increase of 44.6% for passengers.
The highest number of trips were registered during June, the number being 924 and accounting for 41% of the total trips. June also had the highest number of passengers totalling to 75,749, which accounted for 41.4% of total passengers for the quarter.