-rams other vessel while leaving
Even as calls are being made for the aged vessel to be replaced, the T&HD ferry, MV Kimbia departed Port Georgetown for the North West yesterday afternoon following a four-hour delay with hundreds of disgruntled passengers some of whom fought feverishly for space.
When this newspaper arrived at the Kingston wharf shortly before 4 pm yesterday, dozens of passengers were waiting in a bond leading to the vessel, even as the vessel was being loaded with empty crates used by hucksters. According to the passengers, the delay in the departure was related to T&HD staff requiring additional time to load the vessel. Stabroek News was unable to verify whether that report was true.
One dissatisfied passenger told this newspaper that he and his family were expecting to travel to the North West on Thursday, as per schedule, but he was informed on the way to Georgetown from the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, where he stayed with relatives, that the vessel would have been departing for the North West on Friday. As the man spoke to Stabroek News, passengers scrambled aboard with their belongings as the door from the waiting area was opened for them. Persons could be heard screaming and yelling, some requesting those in front of them to offer them a chance to enter the vessel. One senior citizen, who waited until the pushing and tugging subsided, told this newspaper that the authorities should urgently devise a better plan for passengers who travel to the North West on the ferry, noting that the vessel should not carry more passengers than the rated capacity.
On board the vessel, shortly after 4 pm yesterday, passengers pushed their way into the passenger area located on the lower deck of the ferry. As this reporter entered that section of the ferry, persons scrambled for whatever space was available for them to occupy. At the back of the vessel, close to the washroom area, families spread pieces of foam on the floor as a number of children, some sleeping amidst the strong stench emanating from the washroom area, watched and assisted their relatives in finding space to rest their luggage.
It was clear to any observer at this time, that the vessel was packed beyond capacity even as dozens of passengers continued to enter the vessel. On the upper deck, persons slung their hammocks on whatever surface was available while some passengers complained of the stench emanating from the washroom.
Shortly before 5 pm, as passengers began to settle on the already cramped vessel, persons entered with a casket bearing a deceased relative which was placed close to the hatch (cargo area). At the same time, while risking the safety of those entering and exiting the ferry, the vessel was being loaded with empty crates, which were being lifted into the air from the wharf and placed close to the hatch, even as persons traversed the area directly below where the crates were being hoisted.
Finally, around 5 pm, the MV Kimbia departed the wharf but not before slamming into the back of another vessel which was moored at another wharf located behind the MV Kimbia at the time. Persons on the Kingston wharf were left in awe, with some, including T&HD’s General Manager Yurlander Hughes, who asked of their colleagues on the wharf, whether they had witnessed what had occurred. Fortunately, the vessels did not sustain much damage.
Soon after, the ferry sailed out of the Demerara River for the Atlantic, with some T&HD staff noting that the vessel was travelling on one engine. Stabroek News was unable to determine how accurate this information was. However, a T&HD staffer working on the Kingston wharf told this newspaper that the vessel was indeed travelling on one engine, noting that the engine on the left side of the vessel was not, ’kicking up water’. He said persons on board the vessel would ’have to hope that the boat reach (on schedule) tomorrow’.
Earlier, Stabroek News caught up with a former captain of a village in the Mabaruma Sub-Region, and, speaking on the condition of anonymity, he related that the administration had promised North West residents, while campaigning in the 1992 elections, a new vessel. He said that whenever passengers board the MV Kimbia, especially during holiday seasons, they are forced to ‘rush into the ferry’, since he noted, not much space is usually available on the MV Kimbia during this time. The man said that one has to look at the latter from a safety perspective, since, he noted, if the vessel is to encounter an emergency at sea, moreso while in the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean at night, one can expect a number of fatalities since the lifeguard boats on board the MV Kimbia cannot accommodate the number of passengers who boarded the ferry yesterday.
He said there is a procedure where preference is given to senior citizens and women with children to board the vessel before the other passengers. He noted however, that this procedure does not meet its objective, since shortly after the doors are reopened for other passengers to board the ferry, persons, ’run into the boat as if you loose some pigs out of a pen’.
The man noted that one cannot blame the passengers for forcing their way into the ferry since much space is not usually available on board during this time. He said the ferry has a seating capacity for 80 persons, noting that in total it is only required to carry 200 persons. The man said the T&HD continues to print a number of tickets exceeding this number.
This newspaper had been reporting on conditions on board the MV Kimbia as well as the status of the vessel itself. On its last return trip to Georgetown from Kumaka in the North West several weeks ago, the vessel limped along to the city on one engine, taking up an extra day; after the engine became inoperable several hours after the ferry departed the interior port. A passenger had recounted the trip to Georgetown, stating that it was a nightmare. This newspaper had contacted Transport Minister Robeson Benn on the issue, and he assured that a statement on the status of the MV Kimbia would have been released to the media. However, to date this newspaper has not received such information, even though a report on the statement appeared in the Guyana Times.