…Canawaima not closing soon, says Terminal Manager

Story and photos by Nafeeza Yahya
EVEN though the M.V Canawaima is in dire need of a new engine, the terminal Manager Dayne Harry is advising commuters and the public that there is no closure or suspension of

the ferry service between Guyana and Suriname in the near future.

This disclosure was made in an interview with Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, even though the vessel is being assisted by a tug due to one of its engine being damaged. According to Harry, should the vessel need to be grounded for any reason, provisions will be made as was done in the past to have another “roll-on-roll off” vessel from the Transport and Harbours Department to ply the route until the MV Canawaima is fixed. “There is no need for people to panic, the vessel is being assisted by a tug at the moment but should we have to ground it for any reason, there is provision in place to ensure the service between Guyana and Suriname continues seamlessly”

Engineers had said 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. This newspaper was informed that a meeting has been arranged with the Surinamese counterparts for January 16. The location of the meeting has not been revealed. Meanwhile, Guyana Chronicle understands that the matter was raised recently when Suriname’s President Desi Boutrese and his delegation visited Guyana to discuss bilateral matters with President David Granger.

According to sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Surinamese delegation had promised to “sort it out”. “At this point, major maintenance is required and there is need to purchase a new engine…this should have been done a long time ago but Suriname has indicated that it is not in a position to do so. What has happened to the money they’ve collected?” said the source.
Asked whether Guyana would consider undertaking the expense for the purchase of the engine, the foreign affairs official responded, “No, we have a legally binding agreement, there is a 50-50 split…Guyana would not be operating the ferry alone.” Guyana’s experience with Suriname in similar matters has been described as “troubling”, the source added.

Notwithstanding the challenges affecting the operation of the service, Harry during a recent presentation at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s end-of-year media brief said traffic is projected to increase by 2 per cent this year. The Canawaima Ferry Service was established since 1998 to connect travelers en route from Moleson Creek- 10km south of Corriverton- to the South Drain in Suriname. It is the only legal marine travel connection between the two countries.

IT WON’T BE EASY
Meanwhile, Guyana Chronicle met with several passengers, minibus and taxi operators as well as cambio dealers who were busy plying their trade as the ferry came in from Suriname in the morning and they all agreed that should the service be terminated or suspended even for a short period it would severely affect their livelihoods. “Them better don’t deh pon nonsense…cause I been working here for over 15 years everyday with me bus and me whole family depend on this cause it ain’t easy out deh,” said a Route 63 A minibus operator.

Another taxi driver ‘Fineman’ said he works from Moleson Creek to New Amsterdam on the ferry service and has established a good relationship with his passengers, any disruption or closure would be difficult for him since it would mean moving to another location.
Sherry Rojan a passenger who has been utilising the service for several years said she hopes what she heard is not true since she also runs a business. “I own fishing boats and would come over for my business every week. If it stops or is suspended my costs would go up cause I would need to hire boats to do my business and I don’t like the backtrack service cause to me it ain’t safe.”

ENORMOUS IMPACT
Meanwhile, President of the Upper Corentyne Chambers of Commerce Hemchand Jaichand said should the service be disrupted for any reason, it would have an enormous impact on the upper Corentyne area especially economically. “The private sector would suffer increases especially since the cost of freight is already high at the moment and any setbacks with the service would only push the cost upwards”

The current woes affecting the ferry service has worsened over the past two weeks after the portside engine gave up completely affecting its ability to moor and steer. Harry indicated that at the moment the M.V Canawaima, which is the lone authorised passenger ferry service between Guyana and Suriname is operating on one engine since the Portside engine is in need of major repairs. As a result a tug has been assisting the vessel for the past few weeks to moor and steer.
Harry stated that even though the Starboard engine was recently overhauled the Guyanese authorities have made recommendations to have both engines(starboard and portside) replaced with new ones since they would provide better service.

However, the Surinamese authorities have since indicated that they are in no position to purchase new engines. “The Surinamese know the agreement we have with repairs and don’t have a problem with that where we spilt the cost 50-50 but we have recommended to have both engines replaced with new ones and where we will purchase one but the Surinamese will have to purchase the other and they have indicated that they are not in any position to do that,” 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, the two countries are to jointly provide funds for the maintenance of the ferry. In this case, Guyana and Suriname are to fit the bill 50-50. Suriname has however indicated that it does not have the requisite sums to purchase the new engine that was recommended by their Guyanese counterparts. The Canawaima Ferry Service was established since 1998 and has an estimated 330 passengers utilizing the service daily with at least on trip per day between the two countries with a projected 2% increase for 2017.