The number of freight and passenger vessels that entered Malta’s ports has doubled in 10 years, the highest increase recorded in the EU.

This 100 per cent increase, recorded by Eurostat, is well above the EU average of less than 10 per cent. Croatia had the second-highest increase with 40 per cent more vessels entering its ports.

In 2023, Malta received 45,949 port calls compared to the 22,882 that it received in 2012. Compared to 2022, there was a 5.5 per cent increase in port calls, which is the fourth-largest increase in the EU.

In 2023, Malta received 45,949 port calls

Overall, 2.2 million vessels entered the main EU ports in 2023, which is an increase of 1.5 per cent from the previous year.

Greece reported the highest number of port calls with 477,115 vessels, closely followed by Italy with 449,131 vessels. The lowest number of vessels was reported in Slovenia with 1,760 vessels.

From all the vessels Malta received in 2023, this amounts to 277,662 gross tonnages, which marks a 28.5 per cent increase from 2013.

Gozo’s port in Mġarr is ranked as the 17th-largest maritime port in the EU in terms of the number of vessels received, making it the largest in Malta.