Victims of Vreed-en-Hoop speed boat fire pondering the way ahead

Eoshan Khemraj, Secretary of the Demerara Speed Boat Association

Thirteen speed boat operators and support staff are now in limbo after a fire of yet unknown origin at the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling completed gutted thirteen water taxis and scorched six on Tuesday.

According to Eoshan Khemraj, Secretary of the Deme-rara Speed Boat Association, and also himself a victim of the fire, operators are contemplating what to do next knowing that the service they provided were their main source of income.

“We have to do something, we don’t have anything right now, but we have to look around for something. We can’t just sit around”, he told Stabroek News on Wednesday.  Khemraj said the difficulty is also knowing that they have to build a boat and engine while at the same time seek alternative means of income.