KFS suspends Mtongwe ferry services as rains wreak havoc

Ferry services at the Mtongwe channel, Mombasa, which were relaunched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in March, have been suspended indefinitely.

The Kenya Ferry Service (KFS) on Tuesday withdrew the MV Likoni, which has been operating at the channel, and redeployed it to the busy Likoni channel to ease traffic.

DISRUPTION

This follows a massive disruption of operations on Tuesday and Wednesday at both channels by bad weather.

The services were halted at Mtongwe as commuters were being ferried from the mainland jetty to the Likoni Island ramp.

This was after the channel’s pontoon (landing platform) on the mainland was washed away by floods, forcing vessels to use the one at Likoni.

KFS officials familiar with the operations said due to high tides and strong currents, it was difficult for the MV Likoni to move from Mtongwe to the Likoni ramp.

KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa on Wednesday said engineers were working to restore the pontoon at a cost of Sh10.8 million.

CRISIS

On its Twitter page, KFS said: “Four ferries at your service in Likoni channel, today no service at Mtongwe, sorry for inconveniences. Good day.”

The redeployment of the MV Likoni came hours before the Likoni channel, which links Kenya and Tanzania, was plunged into a crisis on Wednesday morning.

Thousands of commuters were stranded for hours due to a shortage of vessels after the newly redeployed MV Likoni stalled on the mainland side.

A massive congestion ensued on the mainland, with passengers scrambling for ferries.

KFS officials also attributed the crisis to the slow speeds at which vessels are currently moving due to strong and high tides.

“Heavy rains have caused high and heavy currents, making it difficult for the ferry to cross from either channels,” said Mr Gowa.

4 FERRIES

Currently, the ferries are taking a longer period to ferry passengers and cargo to either side of the channel.

Normally, it takes not more than 10 minutes to cross, but following the crisis the vessels are taking almost 30 minutes before docking.

Four ferries —MV Likoni, MV Kwale, MV Nyayo and MV Harambee —are operating at the Likoni channel.

The MV Kilindini, the fifth ferry, was withdrawn on Tuesday after it developed mechanical problems.

Currently, at least 330,000 people and 5,000 vehicles use the channel every day.