Grounded ferry blamed for delayed supply of essential goods to Essequibo

Jun 05, 2022 News

The M.V. Sabanto, the only working ferry traversing the Parika to Supenaam route

Kaieteur News – The grounding of the M.V. Kanawan, a ferry that operates from Parika to Supenaam on the Essequibo Coast, has caused a delay in the supply of essential goods – a state of affairs that is affecting the Region Two business community.
Kaieteur News had reported on May 28, last that the ferry will be dry docked for rehabilitative works from June 1 and will not be in operation for five weeks. Four days have passed and businessmen and residents are feeling the heat of having to depend on the only working ferry, the M.V. Sabanto, for transport of goods to Supenaam.

The situation has forced them to wait for hours in massive traffic congestion at the Parika and Supenaam Stellings.
The Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) has weighed-in on the matter. It advised government in a release that there should be a back-up ferry for such situations because the M.V. Sabanto alone cannot take off the massive flow of traffic to the Essequibo Coast on a daily basis.
ECCI in its release stated, “Since there is one ferry working, we recognise the constraints and pressure this one ferry will have to undergo, while its sister vessel is on dry dock…Region Two is undergoing major transformation and such setbacks will hinder timely deliverance of goods and services to all sectors. By June 2, we would’ve already recognised the build-up of traffic at both ports Parika and Good Hope and we are hereby requesting the assistance of another ferry to assist in the backlog.”
Apart from delays in the supply of essential goods to the Region, ECCI is also calling for proper scheduling, as it relates to departure times, to be put in place to assist in reducing the congestion at the respective ports.
In making its case, ECCI pointed out that the Parika to Supenaam route is of pivotal importance because it bridges trade between Regions Two, Three and Four.