Dear Editor,
Almost fourteen months after the arrival of two Chinese vessels, the Canawan and the Sabanto, at Port Georgetown in Guyana it was only recently they both became operable for a variety of reasons. The residents not only in Region Two but the entire country welcomed this positive development, because it reduces the travelling time significantly. The ferries are faster and the distance is shorter; instead of Parika to Adventure it is Parika to Supenaam and vice versa. But what is needed now is to have the silted-up channels dredged, so that the ferries can ply the route any time and not only at high tide.
I can remember in 1964 under the Dr Cheddi Jagan-led government in the colonial days the MV Malali used to do two round trips to Parika from Adventure most days, beginning at 4am each morning and ending about 8 to 9pm.
There was a fixed schedule for departure time. Nearly fifty years after the MV Malali made her maiden trip to this region, the ferries that we have now, although faster and with a journey a little more than half the distance, operate only at high tide and do not have a fixed schedule. And all because the channels are silted up.
I saw the Steven N, the dredge named after a former Works Minister built by the Burnham government for the purpose of clearing the silted channels in this country, a few days ago, and it looked brand new.
I suspect there may have been some serious servicing and repainting done while in the dock; I only hope that she gets back to work soon doing what she does best, and that is clearing the silted channels.
It is important to note that this dredge, as well as the MV Makouria and the MV Torani were built by the Burnham government locally at the famous Sprostons Shipyard, now Guyana National Engineering Cooperation, GNEC.
The buoys and other navigational aids that once use to be in our rivers need to be replaced; they would certainly be of great assistance to our captains and crews of not only of our ferries but all other vessels.
I would hate to think that Transport and Harbours through our Works Minister is providing mainly for vehicles only and not for passengers; nobody likes to be travelling in the wee hours of the morning and late at night. With the Supenaam to Parika channels cleaned, the passengers would certainly be more comfortable; we must have this channel desilted now.
Yours faithfully,
Archie W Cordis
