By Partrick Beja

Mombasa County

Hundreds of commuters at the Likoni Ferry channel in Mombasa were thrown into panic when two ferries stalled.

Services were disrupted for more than one hour as Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) officials made frantic efforts to rescue the vessels.

Officials sought the help of a Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) tugboat to pull out Mv Likoni and Mv Kilindini from the island ramp at 10pm.

The tugboat first pulled out Mv Likoni which was the first to run aground.

Commuters scramble for space on a ferry at Likoni channel, Mombasa, Wednesday. Two ferries stalled on Tuesday night after developing mechanical problems. [PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMMED/STANDARD]

Passengers from Mombasa island had already boarded the ferries but they were unable to take off following a sudden recession of tides on Tuesday night.

KFS Managing Director Hassan Musa said it was strange that Mv Kilindini, which has operated on the channel for nearly 20 years without stalling during low tides, was victim.

Alternative

"We are investigating the possibility of excessive sand deposited near the ramp recently as a possible (reason) for the grounding of the two ferries," Musa said.

He described the incident as a "small hiccup" that lasted about an hour and assured ferry users of better services. Ferry users blamed the KFS management for failing to inform them about the problem as they waited for more than an hour. Mr Dan Ogonda, a commuter, said the incident posed a threat, particularly to patients being rushed to hospital.

"The Government should speed up plans to construct a bridge to serve as an alternative to the ferries," Ogonda said. Another commuter, Ms Fatuma Abdalla, wondered why KFS management did not explain to passengers what had happened.

"Big crowds were kept waiting in panic," she said. Mv Likoni and Mv Kwale were bought from Germany last June to boost an old fleet of five other ferries at the Likoni channel.

The new ferries were acquired by the Government at a cost of Sh1.3 billion to ease transportation of nearly 200,000 commuters who cross the channel daily.

The other ferries are Mv Nyayo, Mv Kilindini, Mv Harambee, Mv Pwani and Mv Mvita. Since the delivery of the two new ferries, incidences of ferries stalling midstream have declined as the old vessels have ample time for maintenance unlike in the past.

Incidences of ferries stalling at the Likoni channel invoke memories of Mv Mtongwe 1 accident in 1994 which claimed 272 lives.