New Ferry Boat Commissioned in Sierra Leone

To further ease sea transportation for sister countries, the ministry of Transport and Aviation on Friday the 19th of October commissioned a new ferry boat, F.B THANASIS at Government Wharf that will be plying the Freetown -Conakry sea route. This will greatly reduce the burden of traders for both time and fare as it is one of the fastest boats the country can currently boast of. For just seven hours with an affordable cost of Le.50, 000 per head, passengers can now safely travel to the neighbouring country.

Geared towards bringing sanity in the sea transportation sector and to minimize sea accidents within the West African waters, the vessel, FB Thanasis will also be shuttling between Tema in Ghana and Lagos in Nigeria with time.

The captain of the boat, Mr. Dennis Ziem disclosed to all present that the vessel has a capacity to carry about 350 passengers for any trip, as it has 300 seats in enclosed spaces, 72 other seating spaces and one main deck.

Mr. Zeim also noted that safety on F.B Thanasis is their management’s priority, adding that passengers’ protection is always guaranteed. The vessel has fire fighting unit which detect fire in less than seconds. It also consists of life rafts, solar panels, life jackets for both adults and board engine and a space for 15 vehicles.

He went on to say that the vessel carries a weight of 200 tons of luggage with an up to date medical facility in case a passenger gets sick onboard.

The crew comprises of Ghanaian, Egyptian, Sierra Leonean and Bangladeshi nationals. It is purely a commercial vessel which provides comfort for passengers with TV and it is fully air conditional.

The ferry started running in September this year and its services will be extended to Monrovia next year.