…journey to NWD down from 28 to 18 hours, says captain

THE refurbished M.V. Kimbia will soon commence plying its usual Georgetown to Kumaka, North West District route, following a successful trial run on the Demerara River on Thursday afternoon.

The return of the 38-year-old vessel is seen as a shot-in-the-arm for commuters and other hinterland residents, who had often complained, that even though the route was being serviced by two other vessels including `M.V. Lady Northcote’, they were still encountering difficulties in getting their produce transported either to the city or from the city.

Manning the wheel as the vessel undertook the trial run up and down the Demerara River, was veteran Captain, Gordon Kingston, who has racked up 30-years-service, with officials in the likes of Minister of Public Infrastructure (MPI), David Patterson; Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Annette Ferguson; Permanent Secretary in the MoPI, Mr. Kenneth Jordan; Director of MARAD, Claudette Rogers; Chairman of the T&HD Advisory Board, Mr. Basil Blackman; General Manager T&HD, Ms. Marcelene Merchant; Managing Director, Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited, Courtney Benn; Marine Superintendent T&HD, Derrick Erskine and Shore Chief Engineer, Mr. Compton Connelly, along with T&HD and CBCS staffers and invited guests, on board.

According to Kingston, the refurbished vessel can now undertake the journey which it previously did in 28 hours, in about 18 hours now. He was pleased to demonstrate how efficiently all the equipment, including the `jolly stick’ also known as the “magic stick” functioned.

Part of the mandate of the T&HD is to provide quality and safe service to the Guyanese public and according to Harbour Master, Mr. Michael Tennant, an additional 15 to 20 years of service has been added to the vessel, as a result of the rehabilitative works. The vessel had been unserviceable for some four years, as rehabilitative works totalling $488M entailed general docking, the rebuilding of the two engines, repairs to the hull, underwater fittings and the steering and parts were undertaken by the Courtney Benn Contracting Services Ltd (CBCS).

The vessel was in quite a deplorable state when it was taken off the seas, and Benn told the Guyana Chronicle that it is now fitted with two engines which were fully overhauled in Holland by shipping giant, Ballast Nedam. To ensure that they worked perfectly when refitted to the vessel, the company dispatched two technician/engineers, here to oversee the process.

The repairs to the M.V. Kimbia were done by Benn at the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) dockyard. Minister Patterson told the media personnel during a tour of the vessel that with the M.V. Kimbia back in operation, “obviously it will promote the frequency by which we can service the North West, that (service) is (now) enhanced. Besides it is a bigger boat than the other two (Barima and Northcote), so obviously we can get to carry more passengers and cargo, and with the capacity and obviously with more cargo it would be cheaper for the community…”

“We are quite pleased, the boat has been down for about three or four years, it was in a terrible state of disrepair but as you can see we have new engines, new machinery and with good care and maintenance it can go another 10 to 20 years. It is all part of the overall package of upgrade of the maritime sector and better service our residents in Region One,” he added.

The minister said he will ensure that a strict maintenance programme is put place, and disclosed that he is already considering undertaking a trip on the boat to experience for himself, some of the issues the residents have been complaining about. He is considering, too, having a suggestion box so that commuters can give a feedback about the service and also, re-establish an inspectorate division that will address issues, such as people being treated unfairly and not being allowed to board according to priority.

Asked about the proposed reduction in travel time, Minister Patterson remarked “it was excellent and I intend to put the captain to the test, as I will very shortly do a trip with the boat to gauge the timings for myself, and ensure that all is well. The faster the boat reaches its destination, the better it will be for the commuters, as it will surely help to bring down the cost of living in those areas. He noted that Lady Northcote is currently in dry-dock to have the engines among other things examined. Also a new vessel from India is supposed to be here by next year.