Likoni Channel: Safety measures to consider and how danger lurks

The prow of the Ferry touching water as it poses danger to motorists and pedestrians. A motorist, Mariam Kingendo and her daughter Amanda Wambua were killed at the Ferry on September 29, 2019, after she reversed the car and landed into the sea. The incident occurred when Ferry was at midstream. [Omondi Onyango/Standard

MV Harambee ferry was packed to the brim as travellers left the mainland for Mombasa island before sunset yesterday.  Midway, the journey later emerged remorseful moment as a saloon car plunged into the Indian Ocean.

Armed with phones, onlookers watched helplessly as the grey car floated halfway on the water. The situation turned even grimmer in a matter of seconds as the vehicle got submerged.

Panic and screams ensued as desperate passengers and crew watched the car sinking in disbelief. On Monday morning, a 35-year-old Mariam Kigenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu were confirmed to be the victims of the Sunday tragedy.

Kenya Ferry Services, later on, issued a statement confirming the incident, lamenting the mysterious circumstances under which the car may have slid into the ocean.

Kenyans were enraged as they blamed KFS for dragging its feet on the matter.

With the search for the mother and daughters gaining momentum, the safety of the Likoni Channel and other docking points have been a subject of discussion.

Safety measures

The Kenya Ferry Services in its communication to the public has published various safety measures for users of the vessels.

 For example, motorists are advised to activate the handbrakes before switching their engines off. Upon disembarking, the KFS advises that vehicles ought to leave first then handcarts, motorbikes, bicycles and lastly pedestrians.

Pedestrians are however advised to use designated pathways to ensure emergency service vehicles such as ambulances can easily access the docking point.

As for the pedestrians, one is prohibited from boarding or disembarking from the ferry while on the phone. Children must always be attended to and any suspicious luggage reported.

Owing to the steeper stairways of the ferry, which can be dangerous especially when they are wet; the authorities instruct passengers to hold tightly the handrails when on board.

The safety mechanisms also spill over to avert terrorist attacks and fire disasters. For instance, the KFS guidelines emphasise that passengers must inform the authorities about any suspicious bags left unattended to. It also prohibits smoking as such makes vessel uncomfortable or susceptible to fire tragedies.

Among the safety tips is a survival position while using the safety vests just in case the ferry capsizes. 

Safety tip #kilindinihabour #likoniferrry #mtongweferry @FerryKenya @kenyaferry @TransportKE @MaritimeKE @kmakenya @Kenya_Ports pic.twitter.com/wGuUEOVavf

— Kenya Ferry Services (@FerryKenya) September 8, 2019

As part of the preparations for the journey, KFS gives daily tidal readings indicating the time and the magnitude of the tides in metres, like in the tweet below.

Tidal readings today Monday 9 September, 2019 #kilindinihabour #likoniferrry #mtongweferry @FerryKenya @kenyaferry @TransportKE @MaritimeKE @kmakenya @Kenya_Ports pic.twitter.com/kfH4cu5Vbq — Kenya Ferry Services (@FerryKenya) September 9, 2019

Nonetheless, KFS on its safety guidelines is yet to incorporate safety mechanisms to save motorists who may plunge into the ocean.

The incident unravelled another sad occurrence where 11 people perished after a truck rammed into passengers who were in a ferry on January 29, 2013.

 The gap

The 2013 and 2019 accidents may underpin a damning report released by the Auditor-General in 2017, which accused the KFS of failing to meet the International Safety Management.

The report postulated that approximately 300,000 passengers and 6,000 motorists are risking their lives while plying the route due to the substandard safety measures.

It mentioned MV Likoni and MV Kwale as some of the ferries operated without maintenance swinging the pendulum of death in the eyes of passengers.

These two vessels were said to have been operated for over 30,000 hours without mandatory overhaul dry docking.

Lorries driving into one of the vessels. [Image: Courtesy]

The congestion at the Likoni Channel was once pointed out as the cause of lurking danger to the passengers.

In a 2017 research titled “Analysis of the domestic passenger ferry safety in Kenya,” done at World Maritime University, Selpha Kerubo Onsongo ?said:

“The Likoni Channel due to the area in which the ferries operate serves as the approach to Kilindini harbour which has vessels entering and leaving the port. Therefore, considering the high number of passengers and vehicles that need to use ferries across the channel without delays, increases the complexity of the ferry operations.”

Likoni Channel encompasses the boat service serving the Kenyan Likoni Mainland and the island city of Mombasa. It started operating in 1937 and currently has eight vessels ran by the KFS.

The vessels include MV Harambee, MV Mvita, MV Pwani, MV Kilindini, MV Jambo, MV Nyayo, MV Likoni and MV Kwale.

It covers a distance of 500 metres and sits of water of approximately 60 metres deep.