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| kobo |
Posted - 22 Jan 2014 : 06:35:17
1. D1O to be lifted to & fro from the canoe boats. Ferry Problems and a sad situation for the nation
2. GPA commences ferry maintenance to enhance safety at sea
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Officials of The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) Sunday began maintenance work on the ferries plying the Banjul-Barra crossing point with the slipping-up of the Johe ferry at the Banjul Shipyard.......
Source: Daily Observer News & full report
3. The ‘new’ ferries are 27 years old
Faced with a persistent problem of ferrying passengers, cars, commercial trucks and animals across the north and south banks of the country divided in half by the River Gambia, resulting in huge economic cost to the economy, the government of Yaya Jammeh decided to enter into a joint venture with a Greek company to purchase “a fleet of new ferries”, according to State House’s own website, “that will take over service at the Banjul – Barra crossing.”
The joint venture between government and a Greek firm named Gallia Holdings Ltd. purchased two ferries eventually christened “Aljamdu” and “Kansala” at a total cost of Euro 6,345,000 which, in today’s exchange is approx. $ 8.7 million. The two vessels were commissioned on 23rd July 2011 to coincide with the 17th anniversary of when Yaya Jammeh seized power unconstitutionally from a democratically-elected government of Sir Dawda Jawara. The operation of the ferries were entrusted to the Greek company that also has a controlling shares of 55% of the venture.
It became evident soon after the vessels’ arrival that there was trouble. The vessels’ size and type were inappropriate. The roll on, roll off, vessels were incompatible with the existing ramps, suggesting that the vessels were not suitable for the purposes for which they were intended. For instance, the entire front end of one of the vessels broke off and sank at sea off Barra in January last year, and the other has been mooring at the port facilities in Banjul or at the TransGambia crossing up-river......
Source: Gainako.com Online News with Sidi Sanneh & full report
4. Is insurance fraud involved? Sidi Sanneh
5. Related Bantaba Gambian politics topic GROWING DISPUTE BETWEEN FERRY SERVICES AND SENEGAL |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 31 Mar 2014 : 23:11:10
" Mr. Omar Touray, the PRO of the Ferry Services, said he is not the right person to talk to the press and therefore directed this reporter to the Director of Ferry Services, Mr. Jerreh Jammeh, who also said they are not allowed to talk to the press."
PRO means, PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, Do not the press deciminate information to the public on a wider base than those unfortunates trying to cross the river Gambia? |
| kobo |
Posted - 31 Mar 2014 : 04:21:11
Commuters lament the lack of safety of boats
Published on Saturday, 29 March 2014 | Written by Saikou Suwareh Jabai
Passengers who use the Banjul – Barra crossing continue toexpress their concerns and worries regarding the congestion, overloading and lack of adequate and proper life jackets in these boats. As it is sometimes the only available means of transportation when the ferries undergo maintenance, which is quite often now, the commuters who live or have some business to do on either side of the banks have no options other than the boats to cross.
It is in the face of poor ferry services, which sometimes result in no service at all in a whole day, and the lack of a suitable alternative which lead to the increasing demand for boats to cross and which also calls into question the issue of safety.
The passengers are complaining about safety and the cost. Sheikh Goree Sallah, a commuter who was crossing from Banjul to Nuimi, said they have always been complaining about the issue of safety in boats, but their concerns are not heeded. “I only hope that the authorities are not waiting for a disaster before they would address the issue of safety on these boats,” asked Sallah.
Mariama Secka, a student who comes to school in Banjul, on board the boats, said it is very expensive to cross by boat as one pays D45 just for one way and which amounts to D90 every day. “Sometimes I don’t go to school when the ferry is off-service because of the lack of fares,” she revealed. She also lamented the overloading and squeezing in the boat which sometimes turn her uniform dirty as well as the inadequate life and poor quality of the life jackets. “The only advantage of the boats is that they are faster than the ferries. If I am on exams, I would prefer boarding a boat to waiting for the ferry to take hours on the river and thus make me miss my paper,” said Ms. Secka.
Another woman passenger also complained about the life jackets and said that because they are not enough, the boat owners often distribute them to the men who sit on the sides. “We the women are asked to sit inside and without life jackets to put on. Is this safe?” she asked.
Still pursuing the issue of safety on the Banjul-Barra crossing, this reporter approached the Ferry Services under the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) in order to talk to concern officials regarding the state of the ferries and the complaints of passengers. When approached, Mr. Omar Touray, the PRO of the Ferry Services, said he is not the right person to talk to the press and therefore directed this reporter to the Director of Ferry Services, Mr. Jerreh Jammeh, who also said they are not allowed to talk to the press.
Efforts would be made to talk to the senior management of the GPA to convey the concerns of the passengers who use the ferry and get their feedback on the situation of the ferries.
Foroyaa Burning Issues News |
| kobo |
Posted - 26 Mar 2014 : 21:57:17
 
1.Ferry Johe to resume operations soon
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Maintenance works on the Johe Ferry that has been going for more than a month now is at an advanced stage and there are plans to release it to resume normal routine service in the next two weeks, the general manager of Banjul Shipyard told the Daily Observer Tuesday.
The Johe Ferry, it would be recalled, was in January, docked by The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) for four-week intensive maintenance to enhance safety at the Banjul-Barra crossing point. The maintenance work is being carried out by experts from one of the ship building companies in China, in collaboration with the staff of GPA. Experts have been rehabilitating both its underwater system and the installation of brand engines. Upon completion, it is expected to give the Johe ferry a new look, thus guaranteeing the safety of the thousands of passengers who cross the point daily....
Full report Daily Observer News
2. Ferry maintenance
It is indeed a welcome development that the GPA is putting the ferries aside for thorough maintenance. We know this might be inconvenient particularly taking into account the volume of trade on the Banjul-Barra ferry crossing, but the safety of people should be the prime concern of all and sundry.....Daily Observer Full Editorial |
| kobo |
Posted - 25 Mar 2014 : 04:22:53
  All Ferries In The Gambia Have Been Grounded!!
All ferries at the Banjul ports have been grounded due to mechanical problems, the Freedom Newspaper can report. This latest development has rendered the port's financial basket to dry. There is no movement of ferries at this hour. The regime lacks money to repair the grounded ferries.
Meanwhile, thousands of travelers are struggling to board small canoes to Barra and Banjul. The canoes are not sea safety. Some of the boats occasionally sang in the sea while ferrying passengers between Banjul and Barra. In addition, there are limited life jackets available to passengers....
Source: Freedom Online News for Full Story |
| kobo |
Posted - 19 Mar 2014 : 22:38:46
1. BANJUL-BARRA FERRIES NOT OPERATING AS BOAT PASSENGERS COMPLAIN OF OVERLOADING
Foroyaa: Published on Monday, 17 March 2014 | Written by Saikou Suwareh Jabai
None of the ferries at the Banjul/Barra ferry terminals are operational prompting passengers to have high concentration on the boats, on Sunday March 16th 2014. This reporter decided to use the boat to cross to experience firsthand the difficulties cited by the passengers as well as to verify if the complaints of passengers are anything to go by.
He discovered that the total cost involved in using the boat to cross is D45. D25 for the boat fee and D20 is given to the able bodied men who lift passengers off and onto the boat.
One Sheikh Tijan, a man engaged in lifting and carrying passengers, said they charge D10 for lifting passengers into the boat and D10 to lift them from inside the boat making a total of D20 plus the ticket to cross by the boat from either crossing point to the next.
According to Tijan this is a good business for them. Asked how much he earns, he said it normally ranges from D500 or more per day. While on the boat, our reporter engaged some passengers for an interview who complained about the cost involved and the alleged overloading.
One Ismaila Cessay, who said he was on his way to Farafenni, noted that the boat is very small to take the high number of passengers, adding that the boat is congested and people do not even have places to sit. Ceesay says D45 is too much for one to pay just to cross the river.
An old woman, Na Fatou, also raised concerns. She said she uses the boat to cross at least twice every week. She indicated that this high cost is not new, noting that it has been the price for a long time. She said the boats are often over-crowded and sometimes some of the passengers do not even have a place to sit. She said they always complain about it, but the captains always pay a deaf ear.
The reporter engaged the captain of the boat who would not want his name revealed. He said, his boat carries from 175 to 200 passengers. When asked about the congestion, he agreed that it is congested but denied overloading.
The sitting arrangement was also discussed and he noted that women are asked to sit in the middle and men on the sides. The reason, he added, is because women get scared easily in case of accident and other incidents.
On the constraints, the captain decried the high cost of fuel, saying his boat uses about 13 litres of fuel for each trip (to and fro). He noted that they sometimes encounter engine failures and are constantly disturbed by passengers who always complain of congestion.
Source: Foroyaa Burning Issues News
2. Related Bantaba topics Banjul/Barra Ferry service still not ideal. |
| kobo |
Posted - 21 Feb 2014 : 05:08:26
FERRY REVENUE DECREASES FROM 142 MILLION TO 132 MILLION
Published on Thursday, 20 February 2014 | By Muhammad Bah
The National Assembly Public Accounts and Public Enterprise Committee on Monday 3 February, 2014 received the financial report of the Gambia Ferry Services in Banjul. The Managing Director of the Ferry Services, Mr. Jerreh Jammeh, who presented the report said the total Operating Revenue of the company has decreased from D142 Million in 2011 to D132Million in 2012 which represents a decrease of about 7% over the period under review and is due mainly to the poor state of repairs of the ferries which affected their availability and deployment.
He said the Net Book Values of their assets decreased from 334M to D325M due to depreciation charges. He said during 2012, the ferries made a total of 22,424 trips across The River Gambia compared to the total number of ferry trips of 23,204 made in 2011, which shows a drop of 780 (or 3% of the number of trips).
He said a total of 7,894 ferry trips were performed between Banjul/Barra; 8,640 trips at Trans-Gambia and 5,890 trips at the provincial stations. He said the total number of passengers ferried is 3,684,751 which showed a drop of 767,114 (17% of the total number of passengers) when compared to 4,451,865 passengers ferried in 2011. Banjul/Barra accounted for 2,257,949 (61%), Trans-Gambia 1,341,355 (36%) and the provincial stations 85,447 (3%). He said a total of 205,927 vehicles were ferried across The River Gambia, which showed a drop of 77,256 (27%) when compared to the 283,183 vehicles ferried in 2011.
The managing director said Banjul/Barra accounted for 71,908 (35%), Trans-Gambia 107,396 (52%) and the provincial stations 26,623 (13%). Mr. Jammeh said the drop in vehicular and passenger traffic and number of ferry trips performed can be attributed to the poor state of repairs of the ferries as Kanilai, Barra and Johe ferries are all running on two engines and this has significantly affected the availability and deployment ratios of the ferries.
The engines onboard these ferries are also outdated and out of production thus leaving our engineers with no other option but to scavenge for spare parts locally to maintain the engines and keep the ferries afloat.
Barra was withdrawn from service around June 2012 due to technical deficiencies and has been laid up since then pending further investigations to determine whether it is financially prudent to invest in the rehabilitation of the ferry. He further disclosed that the Gambia Ports Authority has since 2001 invested about 660Million dalasis in the procurement of Ferries, Electronic Weighbridges and Ticketing Machines, Landers and funding our annual budget deficits.
He said the financial performance during the period under review leaves certain challenges to overcome; most of the socio-economic objectives for ferry services were achieved. Notwithstanding the aforementioned challenges, management would continue to tighten the internal control systems to enhance the revenue base and minimize controllable expenditure.
D30 MILLION LOAN FROM SSHFC The Managing Director revealed that due to the numerous constraints faced by ferries, (SSHFC) applied and got executive approval of a loan of 30 million dalasis. He said the Office of The President teamed up with GPA to improve the quality of service of the ferry fleet by improving the technical capabilities of the ferries.
He said SSHFC pledged a loan of 3.7 Million euros in order to rehabilitate the worst affected ferries and has already made an advance payment of D30Million. He also disclosed that it was further agreed that GPA would contribute the remaining 20% totaling 0.92Million euros, thus giving a total of 4.62Million euros for the rehabilitation of the ferries countrywide. He said the funds have been used to renew the schottle propulsion and steering units of the Johe and Kanilai ferries, rehabilitate the electronic weigh bridges, procurement of insurance, plants and equipment and motor vehicles for the ferries.
He added all the schottle propulsion and steering systems and the engines for Johe and Kanilai have been delivered and the engineers from Caterpillar and Mann are currently in Banjul doing the installation.
GRANT OF $1.7 MILLION FROM ROC (TAIWAN) Director of Ferry Services Management Jerreh Jammeh stated that in December 2012, the Gambia Ferry Services Company Ltd, through the Office of the President, benefitted from a financial aid of about 1.7 Million Dollars from The Republic of China (Taiwan), through its embassy in Banjul for the procurement of twelve brand new engines for Ferry Boats Johe, Kanilai, Soma and Farafenni.
He said following the disbursement of the sum of 747,000 million dollars, the GPA Management signed three irrevocable contracts for the supply of the engines, for Johe and Kanilai ferries.
CONSTRAINTS/CHALLENGES Managing Director Jerreh however said the overall performance of Ferry Service poses a great challenge and the problem is further compounded by difficulties faced in maintaining an operation fleet that satisfies consumer demand in terms of reliability and timeliness.
He said there is no fully functional Shipyard in the country to cater for the repair and maintenance needs of the ferries in the two major crossing points. He said the only available Shipyard is Capital Gas and it can only cater for the small ferries deployed at the Engineering provincial stations. He said this has seriously impeded their performance as they continue to rely on the creativity of their Operation and staff to beach the ferries for minor repair works. He said the costs of operating the ferries are very high and these costs are generally outside the control of management.
He said since 2001, the cost of fuel, which accounts for about 50% in Ferry Service's cost structure, has increased from D8.30 per litre to D45.25 per litre, representing an increase of D36.95 (equivalent to 400%) whilst the tariff increased by less than 40%.
He said the depreciation of the Dalasi against other major international currencies has made it more expensive to order spare parts for maintenance of the ferries.
He said apart from Trans-Gambia which operates near a breakeven point, the rest of the seven stations, including Banjul/Barra, are loss making.
He said the recent investment in Trans-Gambia in the areas of Platforms and Dolphins to the tune of D68 Million would be sunken investment, once a bridge is constructed at Trans-Gambia.
SOURCE: Foroyaa Burning Issues News |
| kobo |
Posted - 14 Feb 2014 : 21:20:37
Where Is The Missing Six Million Ferry Euros.
 
The Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh on 22 July 2011, inaugurated two supposedly new ferries named Kansala and Aljamdu, at an event marking the 17th anniversary of the July 22nd military takeover of 1994. The President and his government, at the time, claimed to have procured the ferries at the cost of 6,345,000.00 (Six Million, Three Hundred and Forty Five Thousand) Euros.
However, it has been revealed that the President’s supposedly new ferries were actually 27 years old junks from the Greek ship yards. As if that was not enough, the ferries were not also bought by the government as claimed “but sent to Banjul on a contract basis, which the Gambia government were supposed to benefit 45% of the profit share, whilst the Greek company called Gallia Holdings benefit 55% profit share”; According to sources of the Kibaaro Newspaper Manager Bamba Serigne Mass.......
Source: Kibaaro News: Editorial & more full report |
| kobo |
Posted - 08 Feb 2014 : 00:59:48
1. Deceased Belgian woman’s daughter, diplomat hail Gambia for ‘care’
Thursday, February 06, 2014
The hospitalised daughter of the deceased Belgian woman who lost her life in the Sunday Ferry Terminal accident in Banjul and her nation’s honorary counselor in the country have praised the Gambian authorities for both their swift response to the incident as well as the support and care shown to the former during her treatment at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in Banjul.
Jozefien Degeyfer, daughter of the deceased, who exclusively spoke to the Daily Observer in a brief interview on her sick bed Wednesday morning, had been receiving treatment at the EFSTH since the accident occurred on Sunday.
Her comments came three days after the accident, which was caused by a truck driver after he reportedly lost control of his vehicle while trying to disembark from Ferry Kanilai that had docked at the terminal. Thirteen other people also sustained injuries but have since been discharged after medical examination......
Source: Daily Observer News & full report
2. Port Authority’s revenue leaped to D633M in 2012 – Finance director
Thursday, February 06, 2014
The director of Finance at The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) disclosed Monday that his institution realised an increase in revenue by 11%, jumping from D568M in 2011 to D633M in 2012.
Speaking during the scrutiny of the Authority’s annual report and financial statement for the year 2012 by members of the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises Committees (PAC/PEC) of the National Assembly, Tamsir Sallah revealed that the net profit before tax had increased to D100.4M in 2012 from D77.7M in 2011.
“Net profit after tax also increased from D54.8M in 2011 to D56.8M in 2012 despite the increase in corporation tax charges from D22.9M in 2011 to D43.6M in 2012,” he indicated......
Source: Daily Observer News & full report
3. Related Bantaba Gambian politics topic GPA Trial - D150 Million New Ferries Funding |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 08 Feb 2014 : 00:30:17
The EXCULSIVE interview with the D.O. was much better managed than the interview given by the GPA spokesman Landing Jarju initially after the incident.
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/deceased-belgian-womans-daughter-diplomat-hail-gambia-for-care
and
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/gpa-debunks-misleading-information-about-ferry-terminal-accident-injured-victims-discharged-from-hos |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 06 Feb 2014 : 20:42:43
Landing Jarju The deputy director, Revenue Generation and Marketing, Ferries,apart from dealing with paper and ideas this man is also a qualified engineer ?
Not the correct person to talk on technical matters at all,no expression of sympathy for the family,ONE UNNECESSARY DEATH IS ONE TOO MANY. This mans comments were made without any thought or consideration for others !!!
"The deputy director, Revenue Generation and Marketing, Ferries, Landing Jarju, clarified that rarila has a minor problem and not the ram itself. “There was only one death – a Belgian – and not several,” he further clarified." |
| kobo |
Posted - 05 Feb 2014 : 11:29:47
GPA debunks ‘misleading information’ about Ferry Terminal accident -Injured victims discharged from hospital
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) has dismissed as baseless and unfounded, the “misleading information” whirling around that the accident that took place on Sunday morning at the ferry terminal in Banjul was due to a broken ram and that it claimed “more than one life with dozens injured”.
The Authority through two of its senior officials dismissed any suggestion or claims that the accident was its fault, maintaining that it was caused by a truck driver while trying to disembark from the ferry that docked at the terminal in Banjul from Barra.
“There are a lot of speculations when the incident occurred, that many people were killed, the ram got completely broken, the management of GPA is under fire and soldiers surrounded the terminal. These are all baseless and unfounded,” Terminal manager, Hamidou Baldeh, told the Daily Observer in an interview.....
Source: Daily Observer News & more full report |
| kobo |
Posted - 04 Feb 2014 : 20:19:36
1. Ports Authority reacts to Ferry Terminal accident
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
The Gambia Ports Authority, the custodian of ferry services in the country, has reacted to the accident that took place in Banjul Sunday morning, which claimed the life of a Belgian national and hospitalised 14 others including the daughter of the deceased.
The accident happened between the hours of 11am and 12pm when a truck driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle while trying to disembark from Ferry Kanilai that had docked at the terminal. Eyewitnesses told the Daily Observer that the Belgian woman lost her life while trying to rescue her tourist guide, one Saikou Jammeh, by pushing him into the sea to avoid the truck......
Source: Daily Observer News & more full report
2. Warning over ferry travel in Gambia
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
British holidaymakers in Gambia have been warned to avoid ferry travel between Banjul, the capital, and Barra, following a fatal accident on Sunday
The tragedy resulted the deaths of five of those on board, including a Belgian tourist, while many more were injured, some seriously.
“The ferry has a poor safety record,” said the Foreign Office, on its website. “If you do decide to use the ferry, exit your vehicle quickly after parking to avoid becoming trapped inside for the duration of the journey and don’t use the ferry after dark.”
Prior to Sunday’s tragedy, there had been several warnings about safety standards on board the service, which links Banjul, at the mouth of the Gambia River, with the town of Barra, on the opposite bank. The ferries are old, usually overcrowded, and sometimes break down mid-crossing. A spokesman for Gambia Ports Authority said yesterday that it was planning new measures to improve safety standards.
The Foreign Office also warns against using wooden dug-out boats, or pirogues, to cross the river. “Local boatmen operate pirogues as an alternative to the ferry and to attract tourist traffic,” it says. “They are often overloaded and sometimes sink during the crossing. It’s unlikely they will have life jackets.”......
Source: Telegraph Travel Guide News & more full report |
| kobo |
Posted - 04 Feb 2014 : 09:07:45
Sharing WHATS ON GAMBIA: PHOTO OF THE DAY
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| Senegambia |
Posted - 03 Feb 2014 : 12:50:21
Very sad indeed. May their souls rest in perfect peace. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 03 Feb 2014 : 12:50:05
One dead, 13 injured in accident at ferry terminal
The Point: Monday, February 03, 2014
 A fatal accident involving a truck has claimed the life of a Belgian national, leaving 13 others injured Sunday morning at the Banjul Ferry Terminal, The Point has reliably learnt.
The victim, who could not be identified at the time of going to press, lost his life when the truck was disembarking from the Kanilai ferry, during which the driver reportedly lost control.
Thirteen others, who sustained injuries, were rushed to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul.
When contacted, ASP David Kujabi, spokesperson of the Gambia Police Force, confirmed the incident, and said the police are looking into the matter.
Asked about the fate of the truck driver, ASP Kujabi said he is currently helping the police in their investigations.
Source: The Point |
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