Gozo chamber says ‘grave situation’ at Mġarr and Ċirkewwa terminals leading to long waiting times

Updated at 3:30pm with Gozo Channel statement 

The Gozo Business Chamber has slammed the “grave situation” at the Gozo Channel terminals at Mġarr and Ċirkewwa.

“The serious lack of planning and forward thinking which have undermined both the infrastructure and the service, show once again that Gozo is not being given the attention it merits,” the chamber said.

Longer queuing times stem from the MV Nikolaos being out of service from 5 to 19 May for maintenance.

“Though the situation at Mġarr and Ċirkewwa has already reached the limit, and much harm has been averted through extensive coordination, the docking of the MV Nikolaos during the past weeks (until 19th May) has shown once again Gozo’s vulnerability at its only access point in Mġarr, which is now very small compared to Gozo’s needs and its expanding economy. The delays that have been experienced in the past weeks have negatively impacted the community and its economy,” the chamber stated.

It said there is a serious lack of transparency in the way passes are being handed out to people to skip the queue.

“Transparent and consolidated criteria which are publicly available should be in place, with Gozo Channel providing information on the number of passes issued on a quarterly bases and the reasons why these are being issued. Passes should also be reviewed by an independent board at particular time intervals to ensure that these are not being abused or that these are not being used by other persons other than those to whom they have been issued,” the chamber said.

It called for the car queueing area to be properly manned, the chamber is informed there have also been several instances where queues were skipped by vehicles entering the Ċirkewwa queue.

“The Government must understand that Gozo completely depends on Mġarr Harbour and the service being offered by Gozo Channel, and that this is the lifeline for both the economy and the community,” the Gozo Business Chamber said.

On the fast ferry, the chamber said the rising number of tourists visiting Gozo has resulted in Gozitan people being left stranded as the vessel was full.

“Due to the success of the service, it is important to ensure that it continues to respond to the continuous changing exigencies of people travelling between the two islands,” the chamber concluded.

Press statements should include ‘whole truth’ – Gozo Channel

In reaction to the chamber’s comments, Gozo Channel specified the delays were caused due to the MV Nikolaos being out of service.

Furthermore, it said the UHM (Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin) has issued directives instructing workers to delay each trip operated by the company by five minutes. This has led to further delays and, consequently, increased complaints from passengers, the company said.  

“This fact was not mentioned anywhere in the GBC's statement,” it said,

Regarding the Priority Boarding permits, Gozo Channel Operations Ltd insisted the procedures have always remained the same as they were even before 2013, and nothing has ever changed in this regard.

“Gozo Channel Operations Ltd stresses that when a statement is issued, it should include the whole truth,” the statement concluded.