There was panic at the troubled Likoni Ferry channel after ‘MV Jambo’ stalled mid-sea on Monday afternoon.
The ferry that was loaded with passengers and vehicles was headed for the island when she developed a steering hitch halfway the Likoni channel at around 2.30 pm. It was forced to come to a halt, leaving passengers stranded momentarily.
In a statement, Kenya Ferry Services said another ferry, MV Kwale, rescued the passengers and vehicles aboard the stalled ferry.
“MV Kwale came to her rescue and towed her to the island ramp where the motorists and passengers disembarked,” said KFS.
MV Kwale ferry towed her counterpart to the Mbaraki wharf for repair, as KFS apologised for the inconveniences caused to the ferry users
“Passengers on board MV Kwale were later discharged on the island ramp. We apologize for the inconvenience caused,” the KFS stated.
At around 2:30pm Jambo ferry experienced a steering problem while loaded from mainland,Kwale ferry towed her to island ramp where vehicles&passengers alighted and later secured for repairs.#likoniferry @PSSDTransport @Kenya_Ports
@kmakenya @TransportKE
@MaritimeKE @ma3route pic.twitter.com/Iw8gGT8sEa— Kenya Ferry Services (@FerryKenya) November 18, 2019
The latest incident comes barely a month after another ferry, MV Likoni, stalled midway on October 13.
Then on Tuesday, October 29, a man’s mobile phone burst into flames on the MV Harambee ferry.
A recent Senate report found that the five ferries operated by the Kenya Ferry Services are potential deathtraps.
The report that followed investigations into the tragic deaths of Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda stated that MV Kwale, MV Nyayo, MV Kilindini, MV Harambee and MV Likoni ferries are dysfunctional and unseaworthy.
MV Harambee, in particular, was found to lack functional ramps, a contravention of International Safety Management (ISM) regulations that require all vessels to dry-dock after 8,500 hours of operation.
Additionally, the damning report accused the Kenya Ferry Services of operating decommissioned ferries including MV Harambee, MV Nyayo and MV Kilindini.
