Guyanese and Surinamese members of the Board of the Canawaima Management Company Inc, the body set up to enable the effective joint management of the Guyana/Suriname ferry service were scheduled to meet in Nickerie yesterday, Stabroek Business has learnt.
The meeting, according to information reaching this newspaper, was convened against the backdrop of current difficulties the service is facing in relation to the upkeep of the ferry MV Canawaima and the impact of the maintenance challenges on the efficiency of the service. This newspaper was informed that yesterday’s meeting was expected to review the status of the ferry service that provides a ‘river bridge’ between the two South American republics, as well as to discuss the purchase of equipment associated with ensuring the continued smooth running of the service.
It is understood that this is the first time in several years that a meeting of the Board has been held and the opportunity would be used to introduce the Board members from the two countries. In addition, the Nickerie meeting was expected include representatives of the Canawaima Ferry Service Inc, the entity which has operational responsibility for the service.
The Guyana delegation to the meeting was expected to include Board Vice Chairperson Claudette Rogers and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Balraj Balram, who is also a Director and Vice Chairman of the Board.
Inaugurated in 1998 through a US$20 million European Union-funded project, the Canawaima ferry has not been without its hiccups, not least of which is the current need the long-serving vessel now has for a new engine and the threat that the service might be halted as a result of the engine difficulty. In recent weeks, officials on the Guyana side of the Corentyne River have been reporting frequent breakdowns in the service which they say have been hampering the movement of passengers between the two countries.
While Stabroek Business understands that the operating agreement for the ferry service dictates that the two countries share equal responsibility for the maintenance of the service, local officials have said that the authorities in Paramaribo have communicated difficulties in meeting their share of the costs associated with the current maintenance requirements.
