By Makutu Manneh
Ferries operating between the terminals of Banjul and Barra will stop operations today 21st October 2020 for a period of 30days.
The halt of the ferries operation is for the installation of the new landers for the terminals.
“This is for the installation of the new ramps and the operation will take a month,” Momodou L. Sanyang GPA spokesperson said.
A lander is a surface where the ferry rests for the disembarking of its passengers.
Thousands of people cross the Banjul-Barra terminal daily for their everyday activities. On Wednesday 23rd September 2020, Kanilia ferry was stranded in the water for hours because it was unable to anchor at the Barra terminal.
This has gone to the extent of canoe operators volunteering to transport passengers from the deck of the ferry to the shore.
And the incident has caused a lot of controversy on social media.
Hali Abdoulie Gai, former Deputy Director of Ferry Services has confirmed in mid June 2020 that an amount of One Hundred and Forty Thousand Euro is budgeted for the rehabilitation of the two landing sites.
The landers are procured from DAMEN Shipyard in the Netherlands and DAMEN Shipyard engineers will be handling the installation of the landers.
