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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jun 2012 : 15:04:32
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The Point has not forgotten,it is now 11th JUNE 2012 ,still nothing has been done:
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/need-to-get-our-ferries-safer
Snippet from this article;
The GPA should, and must be seen to take immediate steps to put aside any ferry that is no longer safe for use by the travelling public, and nothing should be taken for granted.
The overriding consideration should be the safety of the people!
Nothing more can be said,except:
MAYBE ,AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.
A memory of a tragedy of 2002
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2290490.stm |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 11 Jun 2012 15:06:53 |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2012 : 21:05:28
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Here is some news from the GPA,I do find that it is far from clear what the outcome will be,for instance the spokesman Abdoulie Tambedou, Managing Director of the GPA, said about the old ferries:“The reason for the low speed of the ferries has to do with the body of the ferries, because they have not gone to the shipyard for maintenance. They have these mangroves and shells on their body, which makes it to slow down,”
OK that makes sense,but then he goes on to say"“We do have ferries at times moving 20 or 30 minutes between Banjul and Barra; that has been happening in the very recent past" I think he is mistaken,the ferries have been very slow for a long time,due to the fact that they are only operating on ONE of their FOUR engines,OK the weed growth on the hulls does have an effect on speed.
Tambedou also said "“We have removed most of the sand. Because of the size of the ferries and their design, the current route for both Banjul and Barra is too small for the new ferry,” he explained.
This, he went on, “is why we are dredging the entrance to both Banjul and Barra.
“Banjul should be finishing next week or so, then we move on to Barra and, hopefully, after some few weeks, it will also be completed,”
That makes sense,what doesn't make sense is, that the "NEW" ferries were delivered with much fanfare many months ago,so why now only begin dredging works to enable them to operate?
He also said"He indicated that once the new ferries are operational, the old ferries will still continue working alongside the new one."
Here again IN MY OPINION this should not happen due to the fact that the "OLD" ferries are no longer seaworthy and fit for purpose,if implemented this is a HIGH RISK strategy !!
Please have a read of the previous postings here and draw your own conclusions about the way things are going.
"Noting that the current problems of the ferries has nothing to do with financial constraints, Tambedou told The Point that spare parts for the ferries are not available locally, as they do order them and they are very expensive. "
Plenty of available money in Gambia then ?
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gpa-explains-problems-in-ferry-services |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 09 Jul 2012 21:06:18 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2012 : 22:56:06
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The Banjul-Barra Ferries are not sea worthy and are a disaster ready to happen, may god forbid.
I was speaking with someone on board Kanilai the other day who later told me the next day that it took over 3 hours for them to reach Banjul from Barra. The new ferries are not new but secondhand.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 09:17:45
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Here are some detatils on the two Ferries bought in 2011, the information is up to date:
Vessel Overview - Aljamdu and Kansala having the same IMO number
IMO: 8881577
Status: Live
Port of Registry: Panama
Type: Roll On Roll Off
Year of build: 1987
Built By: Vas. Homatas Salonica Shipyards
Built At: Thessaloniki
Construction start: Before 01 Jan 1987
Construction end: After 01 Jan 1987
Launch Launched: After 01 Jan 1987
First Movement: 02 Jan 1987
Registered owner
Country: Marshall Islands
Year Formed: 2010
Head Office: Contess Navigation Incorporated
Trust Company Complex
Ajeltake Island
Ajeltake Road
Majuro
MH96960 , Marshall Islands
Tel: Not Available
Fax: Not Available
Detentions showing type, vessel name, registered owner, and precis as reported by the Port State Control authority
Detentions: 1
Eleusis (GRC), Greece
Detention date: Before 30-Sep-2006
Release date: 22-Jan-2007
Precis: Seized in the second half Sep, 2006, by Th. Bakopoulos AEVE in pursuit of a E29,125 claim in an action against the registered owners at Eleusis. Released 22 Jan 2007.
Vessel Name At Time: Papageorgiou Iv
Registered Owner At Time: Alent-I Mitsopoulos
Beneficial Owner At Time: Alent-I Mitsopoulos
Casualties shown on map with vessel and route details..........
Casualties: 1
East Mediterranean & Black Sea
Date: 13 Mar 2001
Reasons: Collision (involving vessels)Hull damage (holed, cracks, structural failure)
Precis: In collision with Thassos V in fog in northern Aegean Sea 13 Mar 2001. Sustained minor damage to forepart in way of starboard bow & hatchway. 1 person injured. Arrived Kavala port 14 Mar.
Registered Owner From 01-Feb-1998 Until Before 02-Sep-2010
Ioannis Papageorgiou, Greece
Related story: 2 new ferries commissioned |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 12:34:04
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Also according to Freedom news; interesting comments QUOTED;
"It's often said "government is about collective responsibility" but in the case of the Gambia, it is the opposite. Gambia's Machiavelli Yahya Jammeh is good at throwing his workers under the bus when things got tough. A case in point is the recent Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) ferry crisis. Jammeh is shifting the blame on Abdoulie Tambedou, the former ports Managing Director and his short-lived successor Hali Gai. He said the two former managers are responsible for the poor state of the grounded ferries. Is that so? We will try to get to the bottom of the matter."
quote:
1. "The Taiwanese government through its Embassy in Banjul donated couple of millions of dalasi to the Gambia government for the purchasing of new engines to service the ferries. But sources close to the office of the Presidential Affairs Minister said the President Yahya Jammeh pocketed the funds that were hand delivered to him by SG Njogu Bah. It has been close to six months since Taiwan had made the financial disbursement for the regime to secure new engines, but so far no engines have been bought."
2. "We can vividly remember Jammeh's statement at the commissioning of the new ferries. He praised the ports management for their dedication to national duty. Jammeh also uses the arrival of the “new ferries" to showcase his commitment to nation building. I think it was around electioneering year when he commissioned the ferries: Kanilai and Joohe.
The rest is now history."
SOURCE: Freedom News
Related Daily Observer News Published Friday, December 21, 2012;
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Edited by - kobo on 22 Mar 2013 13:05:08 |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2013 : 13:36:44
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| Apart from the neglected state of the ferries only 2 are working but travel at a snails pace and take many hours to cover the short distance from Banjul to Bara it is true that there are local boats that have taken over the route and are providing a service to foot passengers and small cargo,these local canoes are far from being in any way up to a reasonable safety standard ,personally I would hesitate to risk the crossing this way there is no other means for passengers and trucks who want to cross with their vehicle than to use the neglected ferries the wait can be several days. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 13:30:24
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I wonder if this editorial in The point will have any effect,surely in a developing country this situation cannot be allowed to continue:
"The overriding consideration should be the safety of the people! "
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gpa-the-ferries-and-the-people-1 |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 17:47:42
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The problem is that the MD is powerless to explain,why ? is that you may well ask,very simple answer, NO MONEY to do anything.
quote:
Originally posted by kobo
ARE THE FERRIES STILL SAFE? GPA MANAGEMENT SHOULD EXPLAIN
Writen by: Alagi F.S. Sora
Foroyaa Burning Issues News: Published on Thursday, 28 March 2013
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 28 Mar 2013 17:50:37 |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2013 : 19:35:08
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So Foroyaa has decided to try again,
"
Editorial
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Published on Monday, 08 April 2013 12:44 | Written by Ousman Njie
CANOE BY BACKWAY TO EUROPE and CANOE, to and fro, BARRA /BANJUL NO FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND GOODS WITHOUT EFFECTIVE BUS AND FERRY SERVICES National Assembly Members, Immigration Officers and other security personnel, Non Governmental Organisations and community leaders have been spending hours on TV, in workshops and on community sensitisation programmes to tell the Gambian youth how dangerous it is to travel by boat in search of greener pastures. They often explain the size of the boats in relation to the raging waves at sea. They try to discourage young people from taking the back way to Europe by highlighting the risks that could result in drowning. It is however strange that not much is being said about the threat the many babies, mothers, the elderly, pregnant women, the sick, students, civil servants and other personalities are being subjected to daily as they travel with canoe to Banjul and Barra, to and fro. Many people Foroyaa has spoken to who had the experience of crossing the sea by boat are now paranoid in taking that route because of the traumatic experience they have gone through. Prior to the Presidential elections the nation was shown two new ferries and many people in the North Bank expressed their happiness that the new ferries would soon be replacing slow ferries like Kanilai. That reality has not materialised. Not much explanation is coming from the authorities to enable the public to know how much has been spent on the ferries, the company that did the sale, the make of the ferries, the guarantees, the source of the money and the terms of the contract. Some years ago, generators were also brought amidst fanfare. The supporters of the Government celebrated the development and hope was given that an end to load shedding would soon be realised. This has not happened and we are paying millions to Taiwan annually towards the payment for generator sets 2 and 3. It goes without saying that the same fan fare accompanied the green buses but all ended up in ruin even though they were operated on commercial lines by a private company. The Government has scrapped GPTC and has promised to introduce new bus service. Let us hope that the Government will focus on these two essential facilitators of the movement of goods and people, that is, bus and ferry services, and have them right. Unless it has these two right the small businessperson and public servant would utilise all their earnings on transport for themselves and their families, especially students. Save the ordinary citizens from the canoes at home and then continue the campaign against canoes to Europe. Otherwise the campaigners would be accused of just paying lip service to protecting the youth from the dangers of the waves and the rough sea."
http://www.foroyaa.gm/editorial/12892-what-is-the-difference |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
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