Crossing Ordeal

THE coming of the newly proposed bridge that will link Kigamboni residents to the city, is not a threat in any way to the existence of the ferries operating currently in that area, The Express has learnt.

This was a key statement from an official at the Magogoni ferry who, however, did not want his name to be disclosed as he is not the spokesman for the company.

The Express had wanted to know why currently there is passenger congestion at the ferry, and whether this will not be a reason for the Kigamboni residents to celebrate the construction of a bridge in the near future.

“We have a long-term vision of shifting our route, we can even sail from the city to Mbezi beach if we are affected by the proposed bridge”, said the company employee.

Another employee said that although there are some complaints from passengers about delays, these are a result of certain technical hitches.

For instance, there are times when the nylon ropes that are used by smallscale fishermen are sucked inside the engine, a happening that is bad for the wellbeing of the ferries’ engines, the marine vessels themselves, and their passengers in general.

The crewman was responding to The Express after there was a backlog caused by the stoppage of the MV Magogoni, which has the capacity for carrying 60 small and medium vehicles per trip.

It was learnt that the ferry had to be disentangled from the nylon rope and other solid waste, which threaten the safety of the ferries if they are not cleaned up in time.

The Express observed a number of divers who were removing the stuff from the engine. Moreover it was learnt that this is a common occurrence on the ferry.

Fortunately enough there was a small Kigamboni ferry, with a capacity for carrying 29 small and medium vehicles, that was in full swing operation. At least 45 minutes had already gone by when this reporter left the scene.

“It is strange to see that there are people who are complaining, while it is a well known fact that this is not what we are equipped to deal with, however we keep them informed whenever there are such incidents,” he said.

Asked to clarify who then was in charge of the solid materials that threaten the existence of the ferry, the official said that this was the responsibility of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA).

He said that the ferry was facing a challenge in remaining afloat, while there were many expenses for fuel and repair of the vessels. He admitted that it was very difficult for the ferry to operate fully on a commercial basis without assistance from the government.

He elaborated that income from passengers was minimal due to the big number of passengers who travel free-of-charge.

He mentioned the groups as being soldiers from the Tanzanian Peoples’ Defence Force, Police officers, students and the elderly.

Therefore he challenged the authority to reconsider whether some of the above-mentioned groups could not contribute to the running costs. Otherwise, he said the 40, 000 plus passengers who travel by this means could turn into a liability.

He said that at least the vehicles of the aforesaid groups (TPDF, Police and government) could pay some amount towards the constantly increasing running costs.

Meanwhile, another crew member said that the three trips that run from 1 A.M. to 6 A.M. are service rather than commercial trips, because of the scarcity of passengers during those night hours.

“I can confidently say that if this was not a government service no one could have borne the burden of night trips, which are quite unpredictable in terms of number of passengers”, he disclosed.

Contacted for information at her Keko office, the Tanzanian Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA) information officer, Ms Theresia Mwami, said that there is a need to campaign against those tipping solid rubbish into the ocean.

She said that on several occasions, her organization had been relaying that message to them, but these efforts are not yet successful enough.

Mwami said that due to routine cleaning out of such garbage sucked in by the ferries during their operations, there are unnecessary delays, and the running costs increase because divers have to be paid for their work of decontamination.

She welcomed the news of a proposed bridge to link the city and Kigamboni residents.

“This is good news because traffic jams are a common phenomenon in Dar es Salaam, and the ferry makes this even worse as it is not continuous, you have to wait until the next ferry turns up before getting on with your journey”, she said.

On the question why on a Sunday it is a single ferry which operates, bringing inconvenience to the users, she said that as far as the schedules are concerned, the two ferries are supposed to be in full operation even on Sundays, but on certain technical grounds this may not be the case.

Mwami said that it is very difficult for the ferry authority to charge the TPDF soldiers and Police officers whilst they are not charged anywhere else.

On the question of students and the old-aged, she insisted that they cannot be charged because the ferries are not a commercial but rather a service entity.

The Express attempted to get comments from Peter Milanzi, the TPA’s Public Relations Officer, however that worthy could not be reached through his mobile phone.

But an insider said that the TPA has a responsibility to keep clear the channel that is used by international marine vessels, while the Magogoni-Kigamboni channel belongs to the Ministry of Infrastructure.

When contacted for comment, the spokesperson for the Ministry, Martin Ntemo, said that the TPA and the Magogoni ferry must work in cooperation for a number of reasons.

He said in spite of the fact that they belong to the same Ministry, in most cases it was the big international marine vessels that drag solid waste with them when heading for anchorage in the Dar es Salaam port.

Therefore he said they cannot escape the responsibility for cleaning the channel, which serves the purposes of both the Magogoni ferry and the international marine vessels.

Whilst he admitted that the Magogoni ferry has the sole responsibility for keeping clean the embarkation points, on the question of the channels there is need for cooperation between the two bodies; TPA and the Magogoni Ferries Authority.