Chamber calls for stricter monitoring of back-track operations

Oct 27, 2008 News

---

NUMBER FIFTY-EIGHT VILLAGE, CORENTYNE – President of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, David Subnauth, believes that stricter measures should be put in place to monitor the back-track operations between Corriverton and Nickerie.

His call comes in the wake of Friday’s river mishap that has so far claimed the lives of five people.
The group was travelling from Nickerie to Corriverton, at just before 17:00 hours.

Mr. Subnauth stated that there should be stipulated hours for the operation of speedboats on the waterway. “They should only be allowed to operate between 06:30 hours and 17:30 hours. That time would be brighter, and they, the captains, would be able to have better vision. At least, they would be able to see whether there are floating obstacles and pins that carry the seine.”

Another problem, he said, is weather. “When the weather is bad no one should travel, since the river would be rougher during that period. When it is raining it would affect visibility and the winds would be heavier, depending on the tide.”

He is still adamant that the back-track operations must be legalised. “People would then travel without fear. It should be legalised because it is more convenient for the travelling public and businessmen.”

When asked how it could be more convenient when it is more dangerous than the specified Canawaima ferry to ply the Guyana/Suriname route, he replied, “Back-track operators would be in a position to invest their money to build better boats and safer ones, too.”

Touching on the security measures, he said: “Had it not been for a life jacket and an empty container, the woman who was rescued on Sunday would not have been saved. She claimed that she cannot swim. When the thing is legal, all these measures would have to be put in place, and periodical inspection of these vessels would have to take place to ensure that all the necessary safety measures are in place on board the vessel.”

The back-track operation is more widely used because it is said to be shorter and faster that the service provided by the Governments of Guyana and Suriname. “The time it takes from the landing point to Moleson Creek overland is the same time it takes to carry you across to Nickerie. It is faster. Boat travel is not dangerous once you have sober captains and the necessary precautions are taken.

“If you look at the number of deaths you get on the road in terms of road accidents, it is higher than what you get on the river.”

In terms of placing fishing pens in the river, the President of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce opined: “The fishermen are doing their job, but then, if this thing is legalised, we would have to see that the route the vessels use to cross is free of seines.”

He explained that the problem is that the fishermen do not place their seines in the direct area the boat operators use.

“They place them miles away, but the actual problem is when the seine gets broken from where they are placed, they drift with the tide. That is when they come into contact with the boats and cause the problem.”
“The problem is that these things do not tell you when they are going to happen, and they don’t happen often.”

Mr. Subnauth is positive that there would be an increase in trade should the back-track operations be legalized.

“People who are afraid of the law do not use the back-track operations. I would never use the back-track operation until it is legal. But there are those who use the back-track operation for survival. These are the small businesses and individuals who go and buy-and-sell to make a living.”

Mr. Subnauth said that using the specified and legal port of entry and exit at Moleson Creek is more costly. “You have to overnight when you use Moleson Creek, and then the cost to travel is higher, because you have to travel from Number Seventy-Eight to Moleson Creek, then you have to cross with the Canawaima ferry, where the fare is higher. Then you have to travel from South Drain to Nickerie. It would take an individual one day to go to Nickerie and one day to come back. But the back-track operators take you directly to Nickerie.”

He reiterated his call to Government to look into making the operation a legal port of entry and exit.
The President of the Chamber also believes that those in authority at the Moleson Creek terminal should review the freight charges.

Last year, members of the Upper Corentyne Chamber met with the Minister of Foreign Trade. “The members complained about the cost of transporting goods on the Suriname ferry. One rice miller said that the cost to take a container of rice from Guyana using Moleson Creek is more expensive than taking it to Jamaica. The minister promised to look into it.”

According to him, the issue is the volume of arms, ammunition and illicit drugs that are reportedly passing through these back-track facilities.

“Some goods are easier to access from Suriname through their trading relationship Brazil. Just how the goods can come, the guns and other things can come. We can’t stop that; whether we cut down back-track business or not, the goods will come over…It will still happen. The police cannot effectively monitor the entire Corentyne River.”

---

---