The turn around time of the M.V. Canawaima which plies between Moleson Creek on the Guyana side and South Drain in Suriname is 30 minutes, and any delay in the scheduled departure from the Guyana end is not intentional, says Ms Louise Williams, Manager of the Moleson Creek Terminal.
Williams noted that, in addition to the Transport and Harbours Department which has overall responsibility for ticketing and ensuring the departure of the vessel,  other agencies such as Customs and Immigration , the Berbice Anti-Smuggling (BASS) and the Police, are tasked with having a presence there.
“ Our task here is to complement each other’s  jobs and ultimately all the agencies work together to accomplish a common goal, that is to ensure that the ferry vessel operates according to schedule,” she said, during a telephone interview and in response to a ‘letter to the editor’ appearing in the September 20 edition of the Stabroek News.
The letter writer had complained about repetitive information gathering procedures and stinking bathrooms and unsatisfactory travelling conditions on the vessel itself.
The official, who acknowledged that there are indeed times when the vessel’s departure from the Guyana terminal is delayed, said such occurrences are during Easter, August  and to a lesser extent December, when traffic is at its peak.
She also reminded that while the ferry is scheduled to make one trip from each berth on a daily basis, there are instances during the peak season when, due to the volume of passenger and vehicular traffic, two trips have to be instituted.
The T&HD official further said that although it is already the end of September, there is still a high volume of traffic using the crossing; and up to last Friday and Sunday, the vessel was forced to make double trips.
In an invited comment, Guyanese Director/Secretary Ronald Charles explained that delays in the departure also occur when the vessel which begins its first trip from South Drain, Suriname terminal, arrives at the Moleson Creek berth while officials are still processing passengers and vehicles.
“When this happens, the Immigration and Customs officers have to temporarily halt what they are doing in order to process the arriving passengers and vehicles from Suriname,” he added.
And while noting that such happenings are not very day, he is of the view that maybe the posting of additional immigration and customs officers, especially during the peak season, might alleviate the problem.
It is as a result of trying to avoid undue delays that Williams said management has discontinued a procedure which had accommodated turn-around passengers, most of whom were Guyanese nationals working in Suriname.
Alluding to the complaint of filthy bathrooms  and inadequate seating accommodation, Williams said it was unfortunate that the passenger has had to experience this, since a cleaner is on the job on a daily basis and has been doing well.
She, however, deplored the insanitary bathroom habits of some passengers despite there being adequate water at all times, from eight tanks and a reservoir.
And, while Williams is of the view that there is enough seating accommodation and ventilation in the departure lounge, she admitted that the heat wave being experienced presently can be very discomforting.
To this end, she said consideration would be given to the letter writer’s suggestion to place benches under the trees.
Maintenance of the access road leading to the Moleson Creek terminal is the responsibility of the Region Six administration, but Williams said there are times when the management of the terminal, in consideration of the safety of its passenger,  has been forced to undertake the task of having the overgrown vegetation trimmed.
No official from the Region Six administration was available to comment, the Chronicle was advised yesterday.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on the Jackson Creek Bridge. One of three steel facilities leading to the Moleson Creek steeling  collapsed under the weight of a low-bed trailer carrying a dragline in November last year.
Design Engineer with the Works Services Group, Mr. Kelvin Clarke, in a progress update yesterday, said work has commenced in earnest after the contractor had ceased work temporarily to allow for flood waters  to run off from nearby farmlands.
The damage to the bridge caused a halt in the Canawaima ferry service until an emergency bypass was created and allowed an unhindered flow of vehicular traffic.
Clarke said too, in addition to effecting repairs to the bridge, the contractor is also building a coffer dam in the vicinity and the inclement weather had seriously delayed progress, as the work can only de done during low tide.
Asked about the condition of the other two bridges along the access road, Clarke said while they are in need of minor repairs they pose no danger. However, they have not been included in any of the work programmes for  this year, neither for 2011.