By Sulayman Waan
The Gambia Port Authority (GPA) has launched one hundred and forty thousand Euros (€140,000) dreg project to help ferries to easily dock in Barra crossing points.
The 5 metres depth and 20,000 cube metres dreg project, aims to enable ferries to dock safely and correctly in order to ensure effective service delivery in the crossing point.
Hali Abdoulie Gai, deputy managing director for GPA- Ferry Services told The Voice exclusively that the management of the GPA-Ferry Service layed out this project to enhance effective and efficient transportation of goods and services through the ferry.
“We are also looking forward to cut cost saving in our daily operation, because the current situation at Barra landing site is creating lots of siltation. Sometime the Kanilai Ferry cannot operate during low tide unless it is restrict to carry small cars,” he said.
He said dreg is significant in preventing sand and rocks from affecting effective landing of ferries to the land site.
Francis Gomez, director of technical service for GPA described the project as very important, saying during low tide the ferries find it difficult to land at Barra landing point due to the shallow waters.
Still on the importance of the project, he said the ferries, especially the bigger ones (Kanilai and Kunta Kinteh) often encounter damaged at landing points “almost every two or three weeks we have to do some propeller service, which is very costly on.”
GPA’s Hydrographic Engineer, Dominic Correa noted that “the docking site needs to have adequate dreg so that the ferries will land easily and offload passengers.”
Omar Ndure, a representative of the contracted company, NSMTP said his company is well experienceg in engineering. He pointed out some of his company past executed projects done in different countries such as Guinea Bissau and here.
