Every transport must be road worthy. To drive a transport without breaks is to invite the wrath of unpredictable proportion. In the same vein every ferry must be sea worthy. To make ferry ply waters without its mechanical system functioning quite well is to invite disaster of unpredictable proportion.
The ferries that are currently plying the Banjul/Barra route have proven to be unseaworthy. It was therefore not surprising that on Friday 12th April, the ferry Kanilai was at the mercy of the waves after it loaded passengers and vehicles heading towards Barra. Foroyaa received signals that the ferry was no longer in contact with the responsible authorities. This offers a new challenge of ensuring that every ferry has a communication satellite capable of transmitting information to its headquarters.
Passengers on board the ferry have lamented that at a given stage, the ferry was being carried away by the waves and had there been rough waters; they could have gone to destinations unknown to the authorities.
The time has therefore come for a public hearing by the Ferry Service Company and Board with others to gather ideas on how to prevent any recurrence of such tragedy prone experience.
Government needs to examine how to integrate the ferries with the management of the Senegambia Bridge.
