Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn says the two roll on/roll off ferries from the Government of China will be in Guyana in the first week of December and BK International confirmed that it is on the ground making preparations for the adjustments to be made to the Parika and Good Hope stellings.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Benn said there are always issues with the draft restrictions of the river. He said that this is why the vessels that ply the Essequibo do so only at high tide.
The two new ferries have been given Amerindian names and are now on their way from China in the hold ofa larger specialized vessel. Benn said that the boats are for the Essequibo River.
He said that the large ship bringing the two ferries to Guyana will use a special mechanism to deploy the ferries when it arrives; it will lower itself, flood its hold and allow the ferries to sail out.
The vessels are a grant from the government and people of China and they are meant to bring relief to river transport, which at the moment relies on the use of ferries that were built in the 1960s.
On December 22, 2010, the governments of Guyana and China signed an agreement for the building of the ships, at a cost of US$14 million, with a promise from the builders that they would be delivered before the end of this year.
Benn said the capacity of the two vessels is about 44 cars each. But he noted that this is on the basis of the vessels carrying cars only.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, a senior member of the management of BK International said that the company is making preparations to commence purchasing of the necessary material with a view to fulfilling their contractual obligations.
The company official said that persons from the company are on the ground in Essequibo making preparations to start the works on retrofitting the stellings to be able to accommodate the roll on/roll off ferries.
