Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – During the maiden Mansa Kunda town hall engagement organized by the Ministry of Information featuring the Minister for Transport, Works, and Infrastructure (MoTWI) and his line directors, a series of promises were made to improve the Banjul – Barra Ferry service.

Taking place on Friday, May 31, 2024, MoTWI Minister Hon. Ebrima Sillah enthused: “With a view to addressing the public demand for improved ferry services The Government of the Gambia has recently successfully achieved the rehabilitation of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry, which has now been re-deployed to service. This ferry is now plying the Banjull-Barra crossing point within 20 minutes on average.”.

More Ferry Promises

After taking credit for the “successful” rehabilitation of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry, Minister Sillah added that the Kanilai Ferry, which is currently out of service, will also be rehabilitated by a Dutch company for approximately 18 weeks. Minister Sillah also added that the government has contracted the Dutch company Damen Shipyards for the design and build of two new solar-powered ferries to be delivered in sixteen months.

Currently, only the Kunta Kinteh Ferry is operational for the Banjul-Barra route, heaping more pressure on the Ferry Service. Although the Minister branded the rehabilitation of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry as “successful,” it remains to be seen if the six-week promise issued by the Gambia Ferry Service some months ago was kept or not.

Kunta Kinteh Ferry under maintenance (c) Gambia Ferry Service

This promise tracker is based on announcements and press releases issued by the Gambia Ferry Service’s (GFS) Facebook page to their customers. Our review shows that GFS announced that the Kanilai and Kunta Kinteh Ferries broke down twice and were restored on the same day. This happened on 23rd and 26th February 2024.

This signaled the start of this current ferry service problem this year. The following day, February 27, 2024, GFS announced that the maintenance works on the Kunta Kinteh Ferry are expected to last for six weeks, with effect from March 6, 2024. The announcement added that Kanilai Ferry will be providing limited service along the Banjul-Barra route.

However, on March 12, 2024, according to a GFS press release, the Kunta Kinteh Ferry was used due to huge pressure at the terminal, with only the Kanilai ferry doing minimal service as Kunta Kinteh should have been at dry dock that week.

This raises questions about why the Kunta Kinteh Ferry that was scheduled for maintenance six days ago was in use. It was obviously no surprise when the GFS announced that the Kunta Kinteh Ferry developed problems during the voyage and had to be supported to Banjul by the Kanku Jerri boat and the Kanilai Ferry.

Just over a week later, on 23rd March GFS issued a press release highlighting for the second time the six weeks maintenance of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry. According to the presser, the works were to include installation of new engines and propellers, underwater repairs, scraping, sandblasting, removal of marine growth, welding and painting.

The cost of the new engines, propulsion systems, shipyard materials and resources were estimated to cost Euros 1.2 million. This is equivalent to approximately D87.2 million Dalasis. The presser noted that ‘management has deployed resources and a repair team to work in shifts for 24-hour engagements with a view to facilitating the completion of the works ahead of schedule and the subsequent redeployment of the ferry back to service’.

To compound issues the Kanilai Ferry was withdrawn on 12th April 2024 meaning that ‘both ferries are currently under maintenance and there will be no ferry service across the Banjul Barra route until further notice’. If the Kunta Kinteh Ferry’s six-week promise had been kept it would have been plying the route on or before 17th April 2024, but, as we all know that never happened.

Commuters using canoes and boats to cross the Banjul – Barra route (c) Edward F Dalliah

Resumption of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry

The Kunta Kinteh Ferry eventually returned to the Banjul – Barra route on 10th May 2024 meaning that for four weeks there was no Ferry Service on the route. This left Gambians with the only option of boarding small boats and canoes which pose their own risks. Especially when considering the transportation of patients, pregnant women, goods and others.

Even after the service resumed on 10th May 2024 more disruptions continued to plague the “successful” launch of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry. The GFS announced two separate disruptions to their service on the 14th and 21st of May 2024.

GFS announced its first disruption of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry just four days after the “successful commissioning of the new engines” which closed operations “at 6 pm due to routine maintenance works on the new engines”. On 21st May 2024, GFS announced that “a Schottel Control Engineer, from Schottel Germany, is on the ground this week to work on the propulsion systems. Therefore, an intermittent disruption of the service is expected”. They later issued a follow-up statement noting “that Kunta Kinteh Ferry has resumed operations”.

Verdict: Promise Kept or Not Kept?

From the 6th March 2024 – the effective date of maintenance – the Kunta Kinteh Ferry resumed service on 10th May 2024 which comes to a total of 9 weeks and two days. Instead of taking 42 days, the maintenance works took 23 more days. This means that the six-week promise was not kept.

However, disruptions announced by the GFS and the demand for Ferry Services currently shouldered alone by the Kunta Kinteh Ferry means the GFS have a task on their hands to keep the Ferry Service running. Our observations show that both the Kunta Kinteh Ferry and the Kanilai Ferry were out of service for approximately four weeks in March – April 2024.

Verdict Promise Not Kept!

Source: Gainako Newspaper