The principal public passenger and freight ferry serving the Entebbe-Kalangala route, the MV Kalangala, has temporarily ceased operations owing to a minor technical defect. The vessel is being repaired at Nakiwogo port by the National Oil Distributors Limited (NODL), with a resumption to normal operations expected in two days, according to Mr. Sadala Musoke, Chief Executive Officer of NODL.
Mr. Musoke describes the technical issue as modest, including modifications to the stern ramp locks. According to Mr. Musoke during a phone interview on Tuesday, marine engineers are working hard to solve the problem and hope to have it fixed by Thursday or Friday.
The MV Kalangala, which operates every day of the year, only stops for its yearly obligatory surveying at the Port Bell-Luzira dry docking pier. This routine checkup exposes the vessel to mechanical problems.
MV Kalangala’s services are temporarily suspended, however an alternate vessel, MV NODL Victoria, is offering transportation along the same route at a cost of Shs35,000 per person. However, the tickets for the MV NODL Victoria are more than those for the MV Kalangala, which has three classes with VIP, first class, and ordinary class passengers paying Shs 20,000, Shs 14,000, and Shs 10,000, respectively.
It is crucial to note that the MV NODL Victoria does not accommodate automobiles, necessitating a 170-kilometer road trip via Masaka to the MV Ssese and MV Pearl, which operate on the Bukakkata-Bugoma route.
Ms. Eva Kwesiga, the Kalangala Resident District Commissioner (RDC), believes the government should consider purchasing a replacement vessel, citing the MV Kalangala’s perceived age. “Based on the reports we get from ship workers, we need a new one,” she said. We hope that the government receives cash and resolves this issue once and for all.”
The temporary halt of MV Kalangala coincides with a similar break in operations by MV Vanessa, a private passenger ferry on the Kasenyi-Bukasa route. Last Monday, the MV Vanessa took a two-week hiatus for its yearly statutory docking inspection.
MV Kalangala, which was launched in 2005 to fulfill a presidential vow to service islands, had its final yearly statutory port inspection in February and is slated for another inspection early next year.
