Govt earmarks Shs552m for repairing grounded MV Ssese

Government has earmarked Shs552.1 million for repairing MV Ssese, one of the two public passenger and cargo vessels that ply the Kalangala -Bukakkata route on Lake Victoria.
The vessel   suspended its operations last week to undergo the annual mandatory intermediate docking survey.

According to Mr Joseph Mulindwa, the spokesperson of Kalangala Infrastructure Services (KIS), a firm managing both MV Ssese and MV Pearl, before taking MV Ssese to Mwanza in Tanzania for dry docking, they will first carry out engine overhaul at Port Bell, Luzira Port bell in Kampala for two weeks.
 A dry-dock is machinery that is used to lift ferries and other marine vessels from the water to allow engineers to look beneath the vessel and carry out major renovations.

"Every after two years, we are required by law to do maintenance on our ferries and it is now the turn for MV Ssese,” he said during an interview on Sunday.
"During the absence of MV Ssese, MV Pearl will be available to do all the trips," he added.
During MV Ssese’s absence, Mr Mulindwa said, there will be a 30 minutes delay for every trip by MV Pearl, a sister ferry plying the same route.

Under the revised sailing schedule, he said MV Pearl will be leaving Bugoma at 7:15am daily for Bukakkata on Kalangala Island where it will dock at 7:45am for passengers and two trips of 6:30am from Bukakkata and 2:45pm   from Bugoma for the dangerous cargo. The ferry will be making 16 routes daily up from eight it was making previously.

On Saturdays, Mr Mulindwa , said MV Pearl will start sailing at   8am from Bukakkata and end the trips at 4: 45pm from Bugoma .
“We hope to resume to our normal sailing schedule after four weeks when MV Ssese returns from Mwanza,” he added.
Prof  John Ssenfuma, the KIS board chairperson, explained  the  $150,000 (about Shs552.1m)  involves a portion for  engine overhaul at Port Bell, Luzira, and a dry-docking inspection in Mwanza, Tanzania.

“We carry out a top engine overhaul every after 6000 hours of service and a major overhaul and dry-docking inspection of the hull for unseen damage or wear, every after 26,000 service hours," he said.
He said they could have used the dry docking site at Portbell which is less costly, but it had already been booked by MV Kaawa.
Mr Rajab Ssemakula , the Kalangala District chairperson, advised KIS to introduce three night trips to reduce the number of vehicles left during the day  .
 
“Government should either allow rescheduling of the dangerous cargo trips from day time tonight or add one trip at 7:00pm for the passengers," he said.
 
Bukakkata - Bugoma route is mostly used by business people and Islanders since MV Kalangala -the vessel plying Kalangala -Entebbe route doesn’t carry   dangerous cargo like petroleum products or charcoal.
 
For some local leaders who are worried about MV Pearl’s inability  to make  16 trips   daily , Mr  John Baptist Lubega ,the ferry operations manager at KIS   arrayed their fears ,saying the ferry can handle more than 20 trips a day.