AFRICAN transport stakeholders have urged to come up with harmonized working procedures to ensure ferry safety across the continent.

Dr Khalid Salum Mohamed, Zanzibar Minister for Infrastructure, Communication and Transport made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday when opening the Regional Seminar on Africa Ferry Safety organized by the Ministry for Transport, International Maritime Organization (IMO) and inter-ferry to enhance ferry safety in Africa.

The seminar brought together officials from the government, regulators, operators of ferries, and maritime stakeholders from the country and abroad to debate how to enhance ferry safety

The minister said that domestic ferry accidents are one of the big challenges facing most countries in the continent including Tanzania citing the previous ferry accidents that happened in the country

Dr Mohamed said that Tanzania, like other countries, has experienced domestic ferry accidents that led to killings, injuries, and loss of properties adding that it was time to work on the gaps in either laws or regulations.

“Together we can stop unnecessary and avoidable accidents that have lost the lives of our people such as MV Bukoba in MV 1996 and MV Ukerewe in 2018 all took place in Lake Victoria and MV Spice Islander in 2011 in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

Dr Mohamed said that the seminar was an important platform for players to debate and come up with harmonized working procedures to ferry operators and regulators.

“The platform is very important to give opportunities to players to share experience to attain international standards for our ferry safety to end accidents,” he said.

Mohamed Salum, Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC) director general said that currently, there are 62 public and private owned vessels operating the country's water bodies.

He said the knowledge from other countries was very important to have harmonized working procedures for member states.

“The seminar is a catalyst for players to make some changes to enhance ferry safety and ensure sustainability for the African maritime sector

Mike Corrigan, CEO of Interferry-representing the ferry worldwide said that in most cases ferry transport is frequent and associated with accidents and fatalities.

Corrigan said that the organization was for the first time participating in Tanzania adding that it was very important to engage the African continent on how to manage safety for domestic ferries.

Abubakary Aziz, Azam Marine managing director said that the seminar was an important platform to self-evaluate weaknesses and come up with strong regulations and laws to protect ferry accidents.