NOW three months into the new year, but there is still no word from the Surinamese partners of the Canawaima Management Company J.V. to its local counterparts as to the way forward with regard to the MV Canawaima, the official Guyana/Suriname ferry.
The ferry, which was put into operation to transport passengers, goods and vehicles between Guyana and Suriname, has since May 26, 2019 remained on the mudflat at South Drain on the Suriname side of the terminal, since a decision was taken to suspend the service.
Asked about the latest development with the service, a source close to the ferry’s operations told the Guyana Chronicle, “In the past, there had been some difficulty in communication, however, it had never descended to this level, where there is absolutely no communication at all. This is unfortunate.

As he went on say, “We don’t know what’s going on over there; no one is communicating with us as to whether the repairs that were to be done have been completed. The last time they (Suriname) said the repair jobs were completed, and the vessel would have been put back into operation at a certain time… it was a bunch of lies they had told us.”

The source also pointed out that with Suriname expected to hold elections sometime in May 2020, they are unable to speak with the official in command of the South Drain end of the operation, as word is that she is in campaign mode.

According to the source, the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD)’s vessel, the M B Sandaka, was brought in to provide service via a decision taken during an October 23, 2019 meeting, and for the operational cost to be shared between Guyana and Suriname. That arrangement, he said, is still to be honoured by Suriname.
Meanwhile, back in January of this year, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) had cause to refute statements made in a newspaper article in one of the Surinamese dailies charging that Guyana had not upkept its side of the operational agreement where the T&HD vessel was concerned.

According to the article at reference, “The boat never underwent a thorough renovation since its 20 years of service…This was long overdue, because the Canawaima is a joint-venture of two countries, and Guyana was unresponsive in contributing to maintenance expense as is stipulated in the agreement.”

The MoPI, in refuting those claims, issued a statement saying that as per the responsibilities assigned to the Guyana management of the vessel, it has from 2004 to 2019 been funding the expenses for fuel, lubricant and batteries supplied to the M.V. Canawaima/M.B. Sandaka, as well as salaries for the Sandaka crew.

It also said that Guyana has all of the necessary documentation to substantiate that it has been upholding its end of the bargain.