Sumatra: Repair MV Serengeti

Mwanza. The Marine Service Company (MSC) should fast track repairing of MV Serengeti which docked after developing mechanical breakdown last Monday.

The only serving passenger and cargo ship met the fate while on its daily routine plying to Bukoba from Mwanza.

The breakdown was confirmed by MSC acting manager Winton Mwassa who according to a scuba diver’s report, a rope-guide which guards the ship’s propeller shaft system got stuck in the shaft after fishing nets trapped it.

“The ship developed a failure in its rope guide a guard which protects the propeller shaft from any damage, this was caused by fishing nets that had trapped the propeller shaft,” he said.

This led to an overloading to one of its two engines forcing ship’s captain Bembele Ng’wita to switch one engine off.

“This prompted the ship to spend six hours more in its voyage with 269 passengers on board and loaded with 64 tonnes of cargo, the ship was forced to sail back to Mwanza without passengers on board where its mechanical repairing begun yesterday,” said Mr Mwassa.

The principal officer for Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra), Captain Michael Rodgers told The Citizen On Sunday that many passengers, especially businesspeople were stranded following an abrupt termination of operations by the ship.

He urged the Tanzania Ports Authority to collaborate with the marine department and bring back the ship to operation.

“The demand for people travelling in sea is very high especially businesspeople who transport their cargos in bulky and at cheap prices using the sea vessels,” said Mr Rodgers.

He said reports have it that the mechanical breakdown which the ship developed will demand no spare part from abroad.