Call for tender for new Gozo ferry to be issued by the summer - minister
Gozo Channel has four ferries, of which one is leased
The government is planning to issue a tender to building a new Gozo channel ferry by the summer, Clint Camilleri said on Tuesday.
“I have asked the company to prepare a call for tenders to build a new ferry to Gozo Channel specifications by the middle of this year,” the Gozo Minister told parliament on Tuesday in reply to questions by Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina, Ivan Castillo and Alex Borg.
Currently, three of the four ferries operating between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr are owned by the government while the fourth, the Greek-owned Nikolaus, has been on lease since 2019. That ship was initially meant to be a short-term solution until a new vessel was commissioned.
Prime Minister Robert Abela first announced government plans to issue a tender for a fourth ferry last October but did not give a timeline.
The government eventually did issue a tender for the lease or operation of a fourth ferry between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr in 2022, but it failed to attract any bidders.
At the time, government sources said it was very difficult to source this kind of ferry as they are highly sought after and the chosen vessel had to fit the specifications of the Ċirkewwa and Mġarr harbours.
The ferry must be ro-ro type with ramps on either end able to operate from the ramps in the two harbours. It must also be suitable for open waters.
The ferries Ta' Pinu, Gaudos and Malita were the first ferries to be built specifically for Gozo Channel. They were built at Malta Shipbuilding and commissioned in March 2000, February 2001 and March 2002 respectively.