Gozo Ministry confirms lack of interest in ferry lease tender

During a parliamentary session on Monday afternoon, the Ministry for Gozo confirmed that the call for tenders to lease a ferry for Gozo Channel operations received no responses.

The matter was raised through a parliamentary question by Dr Chris Said, who requested an update on the tender for the ROPAX vessel (ref. CT2379/2024), which was originally set to close on 2nd April 2025. Dr Said also asked for a list of companies that had expressed interest and inquired about the Government's next steps following the tender’s closure.

In its response, the Gozo Ministry stated that no company had expressed interest in the tender. The ministry added that it does not rule out the possibility of reissuing the tender, which was initially published on 16th February 2025.

The tender in question relates to acquiring a ro-ro vessel – roll-on roll-off, cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo for example cars and trucks – to replace the current ship MV Nikolaos.

The MV Nikolaos – built over thirty years ago – was meant to be a temporary solution and is one of four ro-ro ships that operate between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr (Gozo).