Parika and Supenaam speedboat operators are busy working to ensure that their craft are regularly maintained and are river worthy.
This is in response to reports that an increasing number of these speedboats are experiencing infrastructural and engine malfunction during the transport of passengers. According to reports, at least six speedboats within the last two weeks have suffered varying engine malfunctions. One passenger related that a boat she was travelling in last week suffered engine failure and its passengers were stranded for 20 minutes on the Essequibo River before they could be rescued. She related that some passengers suffered panic attacks prior to them being rescued.
“These boats need to be maintained. We are putting our lives and valuables in that boat and they want us to pay upfront and yet things don’t go well… our lives matter,” Joel Frazer said. The monitor attached to the Parika-Supenaam speedboat owner’s association, Seewpersaud (only name given), says that the association is currently negotiating with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to find a way out.
When asked how often speedboats undergo maintenance, he responded that this is done regularly. He said that before a boat acquires a licence, the owner must demonstrate that they have the capacity to conduct scheduled maintenance on the body and engines. If either, or both, cannot be maintained as per schedule, then the boat must dock and routine maintenance conducted. Seewpersaud said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of passengers was reduced resulting in less weight in the boat. The fee per passenger was increased from $1300 to $1500 to help cover operating costs.
“We carried fewer passengers and increased the fare; however since the COVID waiver we started to carry more passengers resulting in greater pressure to the engine; we are currently in negotiations to raise the fare and fetch fewer passengers” said Seewpersaud.
Meanwhile, passengers are calling on MARAD to establish a committee to supervise and certify infrastructural and engine inspections and maintenance. “They should have a committee set up so that these boat operators can do checks… and things are okay. But [if] a breakdown still happens then those persons that grant clearance should be held accountable” a passenger, Savita Persaud, said.
