By Ndey Sowe
Picture of the new ferry ‘SALIMIYE’
The Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye announced on Tuesday, 26th August 2025, the arrival of the new ferry ‘SALIMIYE’ to the Gambia, during a media tour organized by the NEGMAR team. The ferry is set to operate on the Banjul-Barra route.
Negmar Investment Corporation, a privately owned company established in the Gambia in 2021, owns the ferry. The vessel can carry 600 passengers, 30 trucks, and over 80 vehicles, with a crossing time of approximately 25 minutes from Banjul to Barra. The trial operation is expected to start before the end of the year, and officials say the fare will be competitive and affordable. Construction of the ferry landing sites is ongoing.
The ferry measures 88.4 meters in length and 17.5 meters in breadth, with a depth of 3.4 meters. It is a double-ended ferry, built in 2004 in Grace.
Hali Abdoulie Gai, Deputy Managing Director of Negmar Investment Corporation, described the project as part of a long-term initiative:
“To have a fair partnership, the Government decided to open the industry, the maritime industry, by allowing private investment. So Negmar was the first private company given a license by the government of the Gambia to operate a ferry service between Banjul and Barra.”
Mr. Gai added that the Gambian government has supported the project by providing two parcels of land, one in Barra and another near Fort Bullen.
“This project is costing approximately $35 million. It’s highly capital intensive, and as we speak now, our proprietor, Mohammed Koch, has spent over $25 million. We have so far one ferry, one barge, one tugboat, and a dragon. They are all in the Gambia. As we speak, the platform in Banjul is almost completed. The platform in Barra is in an advanced stage. The acting MD, Mr. Orhan, who is an engineer by profession, is the man behind all this construction work.”
The ferry, he said, is intended to meet demand and transform travel between Banjul and Barra:
“This is Banjul-Barra, an international gateway. And now, we’ll be open. As we speak, we’ll start with one ferry, and this ferry takes 80 vehicles. It can take 30 trucks. So the ferry, initially, will start with a trial run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. We know the demand, we satisfy all Gambians. But we will also continue to create awareness, because we need to maintain the standards of this ferry.”
Mr. Gai highlighted that the ferry is air-conditioned, capable of accommodating over 600 passengers inside with an additional 500 passengers outside:
“So this is a game-changer, and for the people of the North Bank. This will unlock the North Bank.”
He emphasized that the project will operate in responsible competition with the Gambia Ferry Services, fostering partnership:
“I have been here for more than two years for this project. We are working during the week, on weekends, day and night, because we want to start as quickly as possible,” said Orhan Demiral, Acting MD of Negmar. “So this will facilitate the daily lives of many Gambians.”
Turkish Ambassador Turker OBA described the project as strategically important for Gambian mobility:
“The biggest problem of the Gambians is mobility. To tell you frankly, I’d rather take the plane to go to Senegal or I wait. I think twice when I need to go to the North side. But now with these regular and predictable timings, I am sure many people will also start moving and going back to see their families or going for business or whatever they need to have.”
He added: “I think it’s a big support to Gambian life. This is not an economic, don’t think of it as a trade. This is an addition, and this company works very closely with the Gambian authorities. So I am very happy to see that this project is positively ongoing.”
