THE Kei River’s new ferry was officially brought into operation on Friday last week – and the Daily Dispatch was the first to cross on it. The ferry, or Pont as it is also known , provides a vital link for pedestrians and vehicles between southern and northern banks near the mouth of the Kei River. With one existing ferry set to be retired, the new vessel was commissioned from Randall Brothers in Komga. This is the fourth ferry the company has built, and the third for the Kei Mouth crossing. “It took us about three days to assemble after we dropped the two pontoons off,” said Kennedy Randall. “We’ve given it several coats of epoxy tar paint and have been testing it to make sure everything is working okay .” On Friday, after ferry manager Neville Williams broke the customary bottle of champagne against the new vessel, the Dispatch team crossed from the south to the north bank and back with Randall, ferry co-owner Ann Roebert and Williams. Williams said the oldest of the three ferries, which was kept as backup, would be pulled from the water once the holiday season was over. “We’re expecting a busy Christmas period and if need be we’ll have all three ferries running as the queues can get quite long at peak times,” he said. “But next year we’ll pull it from the water as it is old and needs to be retired now after having done its job well.” Williams said the third ferry, which had been in operation for a slightly shorter period, will now undergo a refurbishment ahead of December. Roebert, whose late husband Graham was instrumental in starting the first ferry in 1991, said the ferries played an important role in the lives of locals coming to work or attending school, and for holidaymakers wanting to access the Wild Coast. Powered by a 90 horse-power Suzuki four-stroke engine, the design of the new ferry is slightly different to those used previously. The pontoons are wider to allow it to operate in shallower water and there are also now four bulkheads per pontoon. In the event one gets punctured, the ferry will retain its buoyancy.
for PDA | ÊÏÊ-âåðñèÿ
