- An amateur video showing one of the ferries at the Likoni channel in a near collision with a ship has raised concern over the safety of travellers using the sea crossing.
- KFS management assured ferry users that the coxswains are highly trained and qualified.
- KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa said they held a meeting to discuss the incident.
A near-collision between a ship and ferry loaded with hundreds of passengers has raised concerns over the safety of Likoni crossing channel in Mombasa, reports Standard Media.
Kilindini Harbour
The gigantic oil tanker was sailing from Likoni towards the Kilindini Harbour when it came within seconds and metres of colliding with a ferry with close to 2,000 passengers and vehicles.
Maritime experts warn a collision would have resulted in hundreds of deaths through drowning and fire coupled with massive pollution of the channel.
Video clip raising safety concerns
An amateur video showing one of the ferries at the Likoni channel in a near collision with a ship has raised concern over the safety of travellers using the sea crossing.
The ship is forced to meander missing the ferry by a whisker veering to the left side of the ferry.
In the video clip, shell-shocked passengers and onlookers are seen wailing and praying as the gigantic vessel sounding danger with five short blasts approaches the ferry.
In the clip, some passengers on the ferry are seen being restrained from jumping into the shark-infested waters at the channel as the ship was almost hitting the ferry.
“Oh my God why can’t the ferry go back? May God have mercy on them,” one of the onlookers is overheard saying as the ship is roaring towards the ferry which was midway the channel.
“Oh it has passed,” someone from the crowd shouted as they also demanded action from the Kenya Ferry Services management.
KFS responds to the incident
Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) admitted the incident happened earlier this month. In a statement, the KFS management said that there was no cause for alarm.
The management assured ferry users that the coxswains are highly trained and qualified.
KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa said they held a meeting to discuss the incident.
Kenya Ferry Services said “disciplinary action” had been taken against the coxswain who was piloting the ferry from the mainland to Mombasa island.
“Our attention is drawn to a video clip on social media today depicting a near miss situation. We would like to inform the ferry users that the incident happened on the morning of August 3. During this incident the vessels were in communication,” read the statement.
Coxswains Qualified
“Some coxswain at KFS are not certificated. This could have been a very big disaster,” said Kenya Maritime Authority flag and state port inspector, Captain Mbarak Zaunga.
The management retorted to the statement and assured ferry users that the coxswains are highly trained and qualified and that the vessels are highly manoeuvrable.
“There is no cause for alarm. It is important to note that all over the world vessels are guided by the rules of the road where every mariner has a duty to take all necessary actions in avoiding collisions at all costs,” the management maintained.
Vessels in the ferry off-peak time
KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa, in a phone conversation, told that they had a meeting at the county commissioner’s office on the incident, discussed and addressed the matter.
He said it was agreed that in future, vessels entering and leaving the Kilindini harbour should as much as possible be rescheduled to come in during ferry off-peak time.
“Yes the incident happened on August 10 and not yesterday. Disciplinary action was taken against the coxswain,” said KFS Communications Officer Aaron Mutiso.
Ideally, ferries are required to pave way for the ship which sounds a prolonged blast about five hundred metres away as it approaches the narrow channel that leads to the port of Mombasa.
Ships sailing up the narrow Kilindini channel are usually navigated by local pilots to ensure maximum safety of the vessels and their cargo.
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Source: Standard Media, Nation
