The Minister of Transport and Aviation Kabineh M. Kallon on Saturday 25th March 2023 revealed reasons why the new Ferries are not presently in operation since they were shipped into the country.

According to Awoko Newspaper, he said one of the reasons is that the two new ferries were brought with some technical problems which needed to be solved before they start their full operation from Freetown to Lungi.

These technical challenges, according to the minister, involve the dredging of the landing site (Creek areas) of the harbor.

He noted that because the two new ferries are bigger than the old ferries, the depth of the landing site (floor) must be dredged to accommodate each of them.

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“The Ferries cannot operate at the current terminal. They have to increase and do more dredging for them to be able to land and move. We are not going to construct a (new) jetty for them but we would give them the space and they can do their jetty,” he said.

Kallon furthered that the new ferries are managed by a private company known as ‘Nergma’ (Turkish Company) and the ferries are presently anchored around the environment of Water quay. “We are in the process of talking with them as to how this process would commence,” he noted.

The Minister disclosed that they had already given the Turkish Ferry Company the Government Wharf, as the space to construct their own Jetty and to dredge the harbor site (Water floor) because some areas of the sea have more stones.

Some workers at the Water Quay terminal who have asked to remain confidential believe that the sitting accommodation and the landing gear of the two ferries to receive passengers were posing other major technical challenges. Others believed that the company has also decided to ship other Ferries because they are faced with the challenges of the new ferries.

The Minister continued to reassure people they will continue to use the Old Ferries until the technical problems are solved before they start their full operations