Yesterday’s weather proved pretty merciless, with powerful West-Northwestern gusts pushing one of the Gozo Channel ferries into a jetty as the passenger ship attempted to dock. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the crash was enough to put the M.V. Malita out of service for the near future.

It’s unfortunate timing for regular commuters, with Gozo Channel’s latest addition to the fleet, M.V. Nikolaos, also having been temporarily moved from service earlier this month to effect modifications and improve accessibility.

The company is currently operating with half its usual lineup rather than the four ships it had enjoyed over the summer months. To ensure regular service for commuters, Gozo Channel has issued an updated timetable to combat the latest glitch.

Scheduled departures will continue every 45 minutes between both islands, except between the hours of 12.30am and 5.30am from Mgarr and 12.45 to 5.30am from Cirkewwa. Trips will become sparser in the early hours of the morning and pick up frequency after 5.30am to increase service to two trips per hour between 5.30am and 7.30am to cater for morning commuters. This format is only for weekdays, with the weekend schedule sticking to intervals of 45 minutes between each trip throughout the day.

With the latest bout of bad weather and the consequent turn of events, calls for a permanent link between the two islands are being voiced again. If you're a regular commuter, do you think a tunnel is a solution?