SLMA Swiftly Evacuates Passengers After MV Bai Bureh Grounds on Sandbank Near Government Wharf

On July 19, 2024, at around 15:00 hours, the Safety Department of the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) received a distress alert about the MV Bai Bureh grounding on a sandbank during its 14:30 hours journey to Government Wharf.

This triggered an immediate response from the Search and Rescue (SAR) team, who dispatched a vessel to the site.

Grounding is a situation where a ship touches the ground in a shallow part of a river, lake, or the sea, and gets stuck.

In coordination with relevant stakeholders, including the ferry’s operating company, the SLMA efficiently managed the situation. All passengers were safely evacuated to the Targrin ferry terminal without any injuries or casualties.

While the passengers were safely evacuated, the MV Bai Bureh remains aground on the sandbank. The vessel is expected to regain buoyancy with the next high tide, after which further actions to refloat and recover the ferry will be taken. The SAR team is currently on standby, closely monitoring the vessel to ensure its stability and readiness to respond if the situation changes.

Following the grounding, the SLMA’s Safety Department has announced a preliminary investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

This investigation will be crucial in understanding the factors that led to the grounding and implementing measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Passengers and stakeholders have expressed relief at the successful evacuation and praised the SAR team and SLMA for their swift and effective response.