Dar - Bagamoyo speed ferry arrives

The long-awaited speed ferry which will ply between Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo has finally arrived in Dar es Salaam.
Speaking after receiving the boat at the Dar es Salaam port on Monday, minister for Works, Dr John Magufuli said the boat had coast the government a whopping 7.9bn/-.

“This is a ferry of its kind because its speed is incomparable to other ordinary ferries we have in the country,” he said.

He said the ferry has all the required modern equipment known as navigational equipment including a compass, an automatic identification system (AIS), a radar, echo sounder, CCTV GPS and cameras among others.

“The speed ferry has the capacity to carry around 300 seated passengers,” said the minister, adding that with the boat, it will take almost two hours from Dar es Salaam to Bagamoyo.

He commended the construction company which undertook the project for completing the work on time.

Dr Magufuli further said that the arrival of the ferry will minimize the severe congestion from the city which has become like a cancer.

For her part, Executive Director for the Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA), Marcellin Magesa said the construction of the Dar-Bagamoyo ferry project was initiated by the government through its fiscal budget for 2013/14, with an objective to minimizse congestion in Dar city.

She said the construction was entrusted to M/S Jogs Gram-Hanssen Construction of Denmark which was also given the task of bringing it in the country all the way from Bangladesh where the construction took place.

Magesa further noted that before bringing it in the country, the speed ferry was thoroughly inspected by Tanzania’s engineer gurus from TAMESA and the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) and also underwent trials.

“In total, about four inspections were done to the vessel before its completion on September, 15 this year,” she noted.

According to Magesa, the fast ferry has been constructed in the form of CATAMARA, constructed by using aluminum marine plate (ALMG4.5), which cannot easily attain rust.

The vessel is 37.5m long and 10.5m wide. It has been fixed with two engines of YANMAR make of 1140 horse power.