Gozo ferry damaged after hitting quay in bad weather

A Gozo Channel ferry has sustained damages related to the bad weather, leaving only two ships in operation.

The ship was damaged today after crashing into a quay during the stormy weather, Gozo minister Justyne Caruana said in Parliament.

Caruana, who was replying to a question by PN MP Chris Said, said that nobody was injured in the incident, but that the ship has been taken out of service for repairs.

A fourth Gozo channel ferry - the MV Nikolaos - was earlier this month also taken out of service for upgrades, and will start operating again on 12 December.

This means that only two vessels are now serving passengers needing to cross between Malta and Gozo.

Caruana said that the Gozo Channel would be increasing the frequency of trips with the two ships which remain functioning

“This will cause an inconvenience, schedule-wise, but nobody is at fault,” she said, underlining that the incident highlighted the importance of having a permanent connection between the two islands.