Government has already submitted a design for the passenger ferry vessel that will be purchased with a US$8M line of credit secured from the Government of India to serve the North West District (NWD) in Region One.
Minister of Transport Robeson Benn said the two ferries currently serving the area have been in operation for several decades, are costly to maintain, provide poor accommodation for passengers and take 24 hours or more to reach Port Kaituma.
“We have brought in the Kimbia and the North Cote; they are the old accommodation … and the economics of operating is very poor; it doesn’t match any standard that we would like to have,” Benn said, according to a Government Information Agency report. “We have been looking for replacement … it takes 24 or more hours to get to Port Kaituma and we anticipate … we calculate halving the travel time.”
Already a proposed design and marine specifications have been submitted to the Indian government for consideration. Government is looking for a ferry which can travel at 16 to 23 nautical miles per hour Benn said, noting that this would cater for more cargo and passengers and travel in a shorter time. “We desire comfort for our people and we want to have the basic 21st century marine travel for our people,” he said. Government also plans to re-introduce the Berbice River ferry service to Ebini which was discontinued in the 1980s, Benn said.
President Donald Ramotar recently secured a US$58M line of credit from India to fund two projects: the new East Bank-East Coast Demerara bypass road (US$50M) and an additional passenger ferry to augment its current fleet.
Ramotar struck these deals during his first official state visit to India earlier this month.
