Cramped quarters, overflowing toilets, stale hot air, crying children, no food and water and a broken engine transformed what was supposed to be a part of a family vacation into a horror trip.
“It was awful”, said Yolanda Carter. The woman had taken family members to the North-West for a vacation. She had returned to the area after 11 years and will not be going back anytime soon. “I don’t know why they are doing the North-West people this”, the clearly upset woman declared. She was referring to her trip aboard the M.V. Kimbia last week. On Thursday the vessel, which transports passengers and cargo between the North-West District and Georgetown on a fortnightly basis, began what was supposed to be a routine trip to Georgetown.
There were about 360 persons on board. Leaving Morawhanna at about 8:15 am that day, the vessel churned its way to Port Georgetown. But hours into the journey, at about 5:30 pm, one of the boat’s engines broke down. Reports state that a nut on one of the shafts had broken. Authorities in the city were contacted and the boat limped along on the second engine. Crewmembers on the vessel made no move to inform passengers of the situation and it was only upon queries that they learnt what had happened, Carter said. The journey would have normally taken just about 24 hours with the vessel expected to arrive at Port Georgetown early Friday morning. Carter, her three children, her sister and her three children were among those on the cramped ferry.
Following the engine breakdown, the Kimbia limped slowly along in sight of the coast. “We were actually drifting into the ocean, how we were moving was very slow; we were drifting with the tide”, Carter recalled. But the ordeal had just begun. Carter said that facilities on the boat are marginal and there is no proper accommodation for passengers. She stated that there is no place to sleep apart from the benches. Some persons, however, take along their hammocks and tie these while others have to sleep on the floor. The passenger area is close to the engine room and it is hot there and no fan is provided, the woman recounted. She asserted that there is no water to flush the toilets and these overflow, creating an unhealthy situation.
Friday morning saw most passengers running out of the food they had brought with them. Drinking water ran out too. As the day wore on many resorted to eating the pears and cassava bread that they had. “The majority of the people start giving up because they had no food. The canteen hadn’t any food, no soda, no water…” With passengers frustrated and children crying, some water was eventually pumped into drums but Carter did not allow her children to drink it because she said it was dirty. Later that day, some passengers began selling their pears and cassava to those who did not have anything to eat for $200 and $100 respectively, Carter said. The waiting took its toll. “There was nothing more that you could do, just sit and see the (children) crying…they didn’t want the cassava anymore”, she said noting that they had catered for travelling up to Friday morning and not beyond.
At 3:40 am on Saturday, after a distressing night the Kimbia pulled into port. “Everyone was so sick and tired of the travelling”, Carter stated. But the ordeal was not yet over. The upset woman said that the gate to the Transport and Harbours Department wharf was closed and relatives on the outside were not allowed in to assist their family members. However, some forced their way inside. Eventually food was provided and two buses were made available to take passengers to their destinations in the city.
Carter said that those in authority should have at least made an effort to send another boat to assist even if it was just to bring food and water. “Nobody come to the rescue”, the woman pointed out adding that she had been told that had they lost sight of the coast and drifted into more open waters, they would have been in “big trouble”. She noted that at some points, the water had been calm but at other areas, it was rough.
Carter was particularly upset at the way passengers are treated. “The condition on this vessel is very bad”, she declared adding that it is very unhealthy. She is calling on the authorities to look into the conditions onboard the vessel as it relates to passengers. The situation has been the same for several years, she noted. This newspaper was informed that this is not the first time the engine had encountered such a problem and it had recently come out of the dock after suffering the same defect.
The age of the Kimbia and other vessels has been cited as one of the major reasons for frequent problems. This newspaper was unable to contact Minister of Transport, Robeson Benn for a comment yesterday.
Earlier this year, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) had expressed concern over the safety of passengers who utilize the Kimbia and the MV Malali. The party had described both vessels as “handicapped”. In relation to the Kimbia, the PNCR had said the vessel was operating with only one rudder, when it is required by specification of the builder, to operate with two rudders. The Party had said that under the Guyana Shipping Act 1998, Part X, entitled, Safety of Life at Sea, the subject minister is responsible for the monitoring of the vessels to ensure that they are safe.
The party had called on the Minister of Transport to take the necessary steps to ensure that the vessels in question are operated in accordance with passenger safety and other legal requirements.
Carter, meantime, yesterday said that she does not have any plans for another trip on the boat because it is “too much punishment”.
