By Amadou Manjang
Gambia Ports Authority Managing Director Ousman Jobarteh has said that the Government of the Gambia, has in collaboration with his institution has a deal with Damen Shipyard to purchase two new green ferries that will be delivered by the end of 2025.
Jobarteh said they are hopeful that one of the ferries will be delivered by December 2025 as Damen Shipyard has started its construction, which will take 16 months to complete.
He said the construction of the green ferry started when the government remunerated Damen Shipyard $13 million from the $20 million grant they secured from Africa Development Bank.
‘Gambia Ports Authority will finance the second ferry,’ he said.
He further added that the Gambia Ports Authority will raise the sum of $13 million to remunerate Damen Shipyard to commence the construction of the second ferry.
The second ferry cannot be delivered in 2025 because its construction is yet to begin and it will take 16 months to complete it which can happen in 2025.
Meanwhile, MD Jobarteh also highlighted that the Kanilai ferry is undergoing maintenance. He said the problems they found with the ferry were far more than what they anticipated, therefore, work on the ferry had to take longer.
He said they found the underneath surface of the ferry rusted and they are replacing it. He said they are hopeful that by the end of the year, Kanilai will be back in operation.
He also said they have reached an agreement with security forces about ferry ticket charges they recently issued for security causing an uproar. He said they would continue the discussion with security as they put in a temporary agreement of a fifty percent discount.
He further said that it is in their master plan to widen Bund Road in Banjul as they work on the port expansion project.
