India delivers new US$12.7M North-West ferry

Jun 16, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Works on the new ocean-going passenger and cargo vessel which is set to benefit the people of Region One has been completed.
The vessel which is called MV Ma Lisha was being built in India to the tune of US$12.7 million by Gardens Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) as part of the Government of India’s Line of Credit-cum-Grant project.

The newly built MV Ma Lisha, which will soon set sail for Guyana

MV Ma Lisha was officially launched on Wednesday in Kolkata, India and will soon set sail for Guyana. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill said that the vessel will provide great service to the people of Guyana especially those in the Region One area who depend heavily on such transportation. The vessel is slated to ply the Georgetown to North-West route when it arrives in the country.
In his remarks, the Minister also expressed gratitude to the contractor for having the works on the ferry completed in such a short time. As reported on, the contract for this vessel was signed in January last year and was expected to be delivered within 18 months.
Edghill yesterday said that the building of this ferry “will certainly aid in writing a new chapter in the ties between Guyana and India.” Explaining some of the features of the vessel, Edghill related that “this ferry is actually twice the size of those vessels that we currently own and with a current top speed 15 knot, it will cut the travel time by half.”
Currently, he said there are three wharves in Region One that are under construction to accommodate the vessel when it is docked in the region. The ferry which measure 70 metres long was designed by the in house GRSE team. The vessel is being propelled by two caterpillar engines and twin gear boxes to achieve a maximum speed of 15 knots. It is designed to carry 294 persons, 14 vehicles, two fully-loaded trucks, and 10 containers. It has a capacity of 250 tons and complies with all international regulations.
GRSE Chairman & MD Cmde P R Hari IN (Retd) in his address, lauded the efforts of High Commissioner of India to Guyana Dr. K J Srinivasa in resuscitating this prestigious project and ensuring proper progress of the ferry building despite the challenges posed by the pandemic (the contract was signed in January 2021). He lauded the workforce at GRSE for ensuring that the ferry was built within a record time of just 7 months after the keel was laid. With this launch, GRSE added another feather in its cap by being the first shipyard in India to launch a ship for a country in the Southern American region.