Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill yesterday launched the MV Ma Lisha which will be plying the Georgetown – North West route.
The minister is currently in India and the launching took place in the West Bengal capital of Kolkata. Edghill is accompanied by his wife Joan Edghill; Rosalinda Rasul – Chairperson, Transport and Harbours Department Board; and Patric Thompson – Chief Transport Planning Officer, Ministry of Public Works.
It is being funded through an US$18 million grant/line of credit from India, with US$8 million in the form of a grant and US$10 million in a line of credit.
The ocean-going cargo-cum-passenger ferry vessel was built for Guyana by M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd as part of the Government of India’s Line of Credit-cum-Grant project. The ship, propelled by two diesel engines, can carry 294 passengers including 14 crew along with 14 cars, 2 trucks, 14 containers and other cargo at a maximum speed of 15 knots.
On January 13 last year, the Transport and Harbours Department signed a US$12.7M contract with the Indian company to commence the construction of the ocean-going passenger and cargo ferry for the North West District. The signing marked the end of a years-long delay in the major project.
In a statement, the Indian High Commission in Guyana said that GRSE Chairman Cmde P R Hari said that the ferry was built in record time – some 7 months after the keel was laid. The keel for the 70m-long vessel with a displacement of 1700 tonnes was laid in November last year.
The Indian High Commission said in a release yesterday that most of the workforce on the ferry belonged to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, regions from where most of Guyana’s 40% Indian-origin diaspora originated from.
With this launch, GRSE added another feather in its cap by being the first shipyard in India to launch a ship for a country in South America.
Meanwhile, Edghill said that the new ferry is at least twice the size of the existing one and is fitted with modern amenities, and new technology and will be able to cut travel time down by approximately 50%. He added that the ferry is vital in fulfilling the transportation needs of the northwestern region of Guyana along the riverine and coastal routes.
He also said that the ship was named MV Ma Lisha – meaning Friendship symbolizing the “great bonds of friendship” between India and Guyana.
