A chartered vessel has been painted in the Gozo Channel livery and will be operating within the coming days, bringing the ferry fleet up to four.
Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana said on Friday that the charter was concluded after contacts were made with various international agencies, as the vessel had to be able to use the restrictive Gozo Channel infrastructure.
The need for a fourth vessel had been identified last year, but it had been blocked at the time because the Finance Ministry had not felt the benefits would justify the costs.
Read: Fourth Gozo ferry on its way soon
The vessel will fill the gap until an international tender can be issued for a long-term lease.
As a result of the addition, three ships will be operating the schedule, with the fourth vessel dedicated to commercial vehicles.