With only the smallest ferry in operation, many Maltese hoping to cross over to Gozo this morning had to wait for over an hour to board if they were lucky.

Others were left stranded but with the Gozo Channel's largest vessel, the Malita, now back in service, the situation is expected to return to normal shortly.

Gozo Channel's Ta' Pinu is out of service for the retrofitting of its decks and the Malita, which has a hoistable car deck and can take 160 cars, was being repaired after one of its ramps was damaged yesterday.

Only the Gaudos, which takes 82 cars, was used in the morning but the Malita was on its way to Cirkewwa at around 12.45 p.m.

A day tripper who managed to board the ferry which left at 12.30 p.m. said that she had her husband were at Cirkewwa at 11.30 a.m. to be on time for the noon crossing.

There was no ship in sight on arrival and when the Gaudos came, many who had also been waiting for a long time, were left stranded.