-Suriname says issue arose out of miscommunication

THE SURINAME and Guyanese authorities will this month-end address the ailing MV Canawaima ferry service and officials of the Dutch-speaking South American nation said on Friday that the issue arose out of miscommunication.
At the same time, amid fits of blame, the South Drain Canal operators have accused their counterparts at Moleson Creek of not lending a “sympathetic ear” to the issue.

According to a report in Suriname’s De Ware Tijd online on Friday, Director at the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism, Joyce Blokland, stated that there is need for reorganisation where the service is concerned. According to the report, Blokland said that Suriname has the money to address the vessel’s engine problems, but accused officials at Moleson Creek of displaying disinterest whenever Suriname wanted to consult on the issue, noting that Suriname on several occasions insisted in vain for consultations.

Moleson Creek Terminal Manager Danny Harry and his superior Ronald Charles have stated that the engine of the vessel has failed and should have been replaced a long time ago. However, the Surinamese authorities have not indicated whether funds were available. Both countries hold 50 percent shareholder rights in the ferry company and both must contribute to the maintenance costs.
Blokland said that the ferry has been sailing more than once per day, which is beyond its ability, admitting that indeed the engine of the ferry is unserviceable. Therefore, a tug has been towing the ferry between the two terminals on opposite sides of the Corentyne River over the past two weeks.

Engineers had told this publication recently that the ferry is experiencing numerous mechanical challenges, among them being burnt engine heads, broken propellers, damage to pistons and rings, broken drive shaft and gears, damaged gear box, starboard engine was completely overhauled, and electrical malfunction resulting in loss of steering.
As a result of the combination of problems during 2016, the ferry is in dire need of a new engine (DAF engine, to be sourced in Suriname) which experts have estimated will cost approximately GYD$15M. The Guyana Chronicle reported that the situation at hand could shut down completely at any point, thereby leaving an estimated 330 passengers daily, stranded.

Harry told the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday that the ferry has been down for approximately two weeks but had been experiencing problems long before. “The ferry has broken down, if not for the tug that is being used, there would be no service,” the visibly frustrated Harry said.
By virtue of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Guyana and Suriname on the formation and operation of the joint ferry service, along with a management agreement which dates back to 1997, the two countries are to jointly provide funds for the maintenance of the ferry.

The MV Canawaima ferry , a roll-on/roll-off vessel , travels daily between Moleson Creek on the Corentyne and the South Drain Canal in Nickerie, daily with hundreds of passengers and dozens of vehicles making the trip across the river each week. Several businesses also make use of the service, as their trucks, laden with goods, would make the trip over to Suriname each week.
Farther upstream, persons make use of the “backtrack” river crossing between the two countries, a route which has lost its sting in recent years, mainly as a result of economic dips in the Dutch republic.