Updated 5.20pm

Firefighters rushed to Mġarr harbour in Gozo on Monday morning after smoke was seen rising from a Gozo Fast Ferry vessel soon after leaving port at around 7.45am. 

A police spokesperson confirmed the incident and said that passengers were evacuated from the vessel. Nobody was injured. 

Photographs and video footage shared with Times of Malta showed people being helped out of the ferry on to a smaller boat. 

Company says 'technical fault' to blame

Gozo Fast Ferry said in a statement that the incident was not a fire, but rather a technical fault that caused the vessel's fire suppression system to activate. 

The white smoke that was seen was "part of the activation of the fire suppression system onboard and no fire was detected," it said. 

The company said the captain had followed all protocol procedures and initiated a precautionary evacuation of all passengers to ensure their safety. 

It thanked all those onboard for keeping calm and apologised for the inconvenience. 

Civil Protection Department firefighters subsequently boarded the vessel to ensure the situation was under control.  The vessel, named Your Faith, is expected to be back in service in the coming days.

One of the passengers, Jonathan Pirotta, praised the staff for handling the incident in a professional manner.

“We were immediately informed about what was happening, so there was no reason to panic,” he said. 

“We were very well taken care of - the staff was very professional and evidently well trained," Pirotta said, adding that the evacuation process was quick and the 60-80 passengers on board were safely returned to the port.

The boat after evacuation. Photo: Ivan Martin

In a statement, the ferry company said a minor fire broke out on one of its vessels shortly after leaving Gozo at 7.45am. 

"All passengers on board were disembarked safely and all safety procedures were followed," it said.

"No one was injured in this incident and fire suppression systems were immediately engaged by the crew," a spokesperson said, adding that an internal investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.

The spokesperson also apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passengers. 

Two passenger boats alongside the fast ferry.

An updated schedule of today’s trips has been uploaded online.

The fast ferry service began operating between Gozo and Valletta in June, with both the Gozo Fast Ferry and Virtu Ferries providing the 45-minute service. 

Gozo Fast Ferry operates two 39-metre high-speed passenger crafts built in 2018 and designed by Incat Crowther, the company's website says.

They can accommodate 300 passengers but are currently operating at 50 per cent capacity due to COVID-19 measures.