Updated Wednesday 7.20am -
Gozo Channel resumed ferry crossings between Malta and Gozo on Wednesday morning, much to the relief of hundreds of Gozitans stranded in Malta.
The service was suspended - for the first time in many months - late on Tuesday morning as Malta was in the grip of a severe storm. On resumption on Wednesday morning, the ferries were taking the longer route around Comino because the sea remained rough.
Catamaran services between Malta and Sicily remained suspended for a second day on Wednesday, but the operator, Virtu Ferries, said extra trips would be operated on Thursday.
As passengers heading for Gozo packed the terminal building at Ċirkewwa on Tuesday, the Gozo ministry scrambled to make arrangements for hotels in Malta to offer rooms at discounted prices. The passengers were also told by Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana to keep their receipts.
Shadow minister Chris Said in a late Tuesday post said that with the stranded passengers lacking a change of clothes and other items, the government should consider giving them a day off on Wednesday to head home. The private sector should be compensated for doing the same. He pointed out that some children would not have seen their parents overnight.
The service suspension rekindled arguments on Tuesday on the justification or otherwise of building a tunnel between Malta and Gozo.
Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said in a Facebook post that a call for tender for the building and operation of the tunnel would be issued within the next few weeks.
Tunnel tussle
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr Said, uploaded a video of a Gozo ferry navigating the choppy seas across the channel before the service was suspended.
It was the first time this year that the service was suspended. Vessels had continued to operate throughout February's fierce storm.
“There is no doubt that no one is going to travel to Gozo on holiday today. However, whether they like it or not Gozitans have to make the crossing to Malta because they may have a hospital appointment, work, exams, or may have to catch a flight,” he said. The suspension of the service, he said, meant that hundreds of Gozitans working in Malta could not return home, including many who were stranded on a ferry at Cirkewwa.
Dr Borg in a reaction, said he couldn’t agree more, but then asked whether he could leave it up to Dr Said to convince PN leader Adrian Delia about the need for a tunnel. It seemed, the minister said, that Dr Delia had had a change of heart about the tunnel after having backed it in parliament before the May MEP elections.
"This government is consistent and in the coming weeks, Infrastructure Malta will issue an international call for those interested in building and operating the tunnel," the minister said.
The minister was repeating a commitment about the tenders which he had made in December.
His reference to Dr Delia came in the wake of reports on One News about the PN leader being undecided over whether Malta needed and could afford the tunnel, especially after the recent introduction of the fourth ferry.
Dr Said, in turn, appealed to Dr Borg not to create a political football out of an issue that was so important to Gozitans and their future.
He called on Infrastructure Minister to complete and publish its studies on the project and for the government to explain the project to the people. He also pointed out that it was the PN government, through his prompting, which launched this project nine years ago.
Citizens have their say
Both Gozo Channel's announcement of a suspension of service and the exchanges between the minister and Dr Said drew a flurry of arguments.
One reader pointed out in a Times of Malta comment how this was the first time in many months that crossings had been suspended. But did this justify spending a billion euro on such a project?
Another, writing on Dr Borg's Facebook post, said a proper survey should be held of whether the people felt this project was justified.
Many questioned how so much was being said about the tunnel, when the state of the roads in Gozo was a sham.
Several Gozitans backed the project, saying days like Tuesday's justified it.
Inevitably, there were a couple of jokes about expansion joints under the seabed.