Sea transport between Malta and Gozo carried more trips, vehicles and passengers in the third quarter of 2026 than in the same period a year earlier, the National Statistics Office said on Tuesday.

Between July and September, ferries made 14,417 trips and carried 2,141,312 passengers. September was the busiest month, with 4,830 trips or 33.5 per cent of the quarter’s total.

The Mġarr to Ċirkewwa route tells a more mixed story. It carried 1,654,505 passengers over the quarter, down 3.3 per cent on the same period in 2025. August drew the most, with 573,847 passengers or 34.7 per cent of the quarterly total. Vehicle numbers rose 1.0 per cent to 606,745 and trips edged up 0.5 per cent to 9,286, with August again on top at 3,140.

Vehicle traffic leaving the Mġarr terminal was heaviest on Sundays and Mondays, while passenger numbers peaked on Sundays and Saturdays. From Ċirkewwa, both vehicles and passengers were busiest on Fridays and Saturdays.

Between Mġarr and Valletta, operators ran 2,991 trips carrying 343,046 passengers. Trips rose 5.8 per cent on the same quarter of 2025, but passengers fell 9.1 per cent. September recorded the most trips at 1,028 and August the most passengers at 118,878.

On the Mġarr to Sliema service via Buġibba, operators ran 1,067 trips on each of the Buġibba-Mġarr and Sliema-Mġarr routes and 1,073 on each of the Mġarr-Buġibba and Mġarr-Sliema routes. Passenger volumes rose in September across all four. The Sliema-Mġarr and Mġarr-Sliema routes carried the most, at 42,803 and 42,811 passengers respectively, while the Buġibba-Mġarr and Mġarr-Buġibba routes carried 29,010 and 29,137.