Dear Editor,
Without prejudice to the findings of the much anticipated hearings at the Commission of Inquiry into the tragic loss of lives due to the sinking of the MV Barima to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, I, as an open-source opinionator make bold to join with others who have made suggestions regarding the future of our riverain and ocean-going transportation system.
First, there is need for regulatory reform at the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), as regards its mission statement, mandate and operations with specific reference to its riverain and ocean-going operations;
With specific references to public transport for the riverain/ocean-going areas of Guyana there is need for a power sector overhaul;
Consideration should be given to the fact that economic growth of the economy is rapidly outdistancing the lag in a modernized riverain/ocean-going transport sector; the lag will continue to widen in the foreseeable future if not addressed rapidly;
Riverain/ocean-going transport infrastructure needs to be rapidly modernized by digitizing from online ticket purchases/payments and to the establishment of logistics platforms, to digitized information inventory/ registration systems and health services provision;
Off-site monitoring and control centres should be established along routes plied by passenger and cargo vessels belonging to the T&HD. The centres should be operated on a 24X7 basis with uninterrupted service and off-site monitoring;
All available systematic/endemic evidence/practices of corruption in the public riverain/ocean-going transportation sector must be rooted out utilizing more creative and realistic solutions;
The lengthy, complex and conventional process for awarding contracts for physical infrastructure development especially for projects such as stellings/wharves should be simplified and standardized with transparency being a hallmark;
Considering that increasingly, modern, more efficient and user-friendly riverain/ocean-going transportation facilities will be steadily introduced, efforts should be made to ensure compatibility of stellings and wharves with the introduction of modern ferries plying the riverain and sea transport sector;
Designing, construction and implementation of a new and modernized riverain/ ocean-going transport architecture should involve scientific planning, geo-strategic, population, length of time for completion, and commissioning of projects. What obtains at present should be revamped;
The state should re-enter the air transport sector at subsidized costs for certain categories of passenger/residents such as senior citizens, pensioners, students, teachers medical personnel and single parents from regions 7,8,9 and 10. Care should be taken to ensure that the state-sponsored aviation sector is neither crowded out nor monopolized by the private aviation sector nor captured by the business community nor gold mining sector;
Since ordinary citizens who, due to affordability, are usually the ones who travel the most by government-owned and manned ferries and other vessels to far flung interior communities a total revamp and upgrade in the quality of service rendered to passengers as regards accommodation, toilet facilities, medical and access to easy communication should be given utmost priority;
A public riverain/ ocean-going transport Inspectorate staffed with trained and professional personnel should be established or reintroduced/ activated; At least two such inspectors should be stationed on each ferry on a rotating basis:
Quality control inspectors for passengers on board, tonnage and storage of cargo, safety measures on board and operational capacity in case of emergencies before departure from Port Georgetown or Port Kaituma must be given priority;
Inspection of the captain’s diary and log book as well as both hard copy handwritten and digitized copies of passenger manifests and cargo listing must be made available at all times to inspectors on government-owned ferries and ocean-going vessels;
On-board water-proof cameras and recording systems should be installed on critical and key areas of government-owned riverain and ocean-going passenger and cargo vessels. Off-site viewing by trained IT specialists at specified locations should be afforded at all times.