A historic moment for ferry transport in Africa
Written by
By Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director at Worldwide Ferry Safety Association
Last month in Marrakech, a city in Morocco, something extraordinary unfolded. Interferry’s 48th annual conference marked a significant milestone as it was the first event of its kind held on the African continent. The conference focused on the impressive strides Africa has made in ferry transport, showcasing innovations, challenges, and opportunities within the industry.
Mike Corrigan, opening the session on Ferry Safety in Africa, emphasized its critical importance. The session built upon the productive interactions from the Interferry-IMO conference in Dar-Es-Salaam in April, where many attendees had the chance to connect and share insights.
Among the many highlights was the remarkable success of the Lagos State government’s comprehensive ferry system, which has rapidly expanded over the past five years. With a growing network of routes and vessels, this initiative is not only enhancing mobility but is also a key component of an intermodal transit program aimed at decarbonizing and alleviating congestion in Lagos. The government has also taken steps to regulate private sector ferries, ensuring adherence to safety standards. The impact of these advancements was so impressive that at COP28 last year, the European Union earmarked €410 million to support Lagos in expanding its ferry services and pursuing electric transport solutions.
The vision of building electric ferries in Nigeria—and potentially beyond—is quickly becoming a reality. The latest fleet of 25 ferries for Lagos was constructed locally by Caverton Marine, a company traditionally involved in offshore oil and gas services that has now ventured into ferry construction. They have retained the services with Lieutenant David Okafor (Rtd.), a Naval Architect and recent retiree from the Nigerian Navy, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Strathclyde University. David is dedicated to electrifying ferries and has created the specifications for the 2025 International Maritime Student Design Competition, aimed at developing an electric ferry for Lagos. The designs produced in this competition are poised to have an immediate and practical impact. Moreover, Caverton Marine is exploring opportunities to build ferries for the challenging inland waterways and lakes across Africa, ensuring that operations are tailored to local conditions. Shortly after the conference, Caverton was invited by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in collaboration with the Nigerian Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, to address pressing safety, sustainability, and security issues in Nigeria’s inland waterways.
The momentum doesn’t stop there. According to recent reports, Africa is experiencing a remarkable surge in solar power adoption—an evolution reminiscent of the rapid embrace of mobile technology across the continent, bypassing older infrastructures.
The session featured a lineup of distinguished speakers. Oliver Weiss, chair of Interferry’s Ferry Safety Committee, played a pivotal role in organizing and moderating the event. He reported that going forward the partners plan to work together on the identified challenges.
Among the notable presenters was Dr. Paul Adalikwu, the executive director of MOWCA (Maritime Organization for West and Central Africa), who shared insights from his extensive portfolio in maritime affairs.
The discussions were rich and varied. Ukeme Sunday, head of Vessel Survey and Standards at the Lagos State Waterways Authority, delivered a compelling presentation on “Decarbonizing the African Ferry Industry Through Sustainable Ferry Design and Operations.” David Okafor, in his talk on “Electrifying Nigeria’s Inland Waterway Vessels Using Market Forces,” provided a forward-looking perspective on the industry. Rose Appiah Okyere from Ghana’s Volta Lake Transport Company discussed Maritime Safety and Sustainability, focusing on the unique challenges faced by the world’s largest reservoir, which serves vital functions for transport, fishing, and power generation.
A highlight of the conference was the presentation of awards by Roberta Weisbrod, executive director of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) to the top teams from the International Student Design Competition, which this year focused on designing a RoPax ferry for the Niger River around Onitsha, Nigeria. The student teams tackled the aspirations of decarbonization while addressing the challenges of vessel security when afloat; the shallow draft of the river (1 meter!); and obstructions in the river that prevent vessels built downstream from reaching Onitsha. To address the latter issue all the award-winning teams opted for precut designs. The first-place team, from ITS Surabaya Indonesia, was led by Quito Abian. The second-place team, from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was led by Abdul Kader; and the third-place team from Indonesia University was led by Rifqianda Fadlurrahman. Their innovative designs can be found here.
Interferry also provided WFSA with an exhibition booth, fielded by WFSA research partner Aleik Nurwahyudy, a Ph.D. student with ITS Surabaya and mid-career professional with the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). The booth highlighted student design projects and ongoing research in Indonesia aimed at enhancing maritime weather detection through increased number of automated weather stations on vessels and improved wave prediction technologies. (See https://www.marinelog.com/views/op-eds/op-ed-extreme-maritime-weather-symposium-unprecedented/ and https://issuu.com/marinelog/docs/marine_log_december_2022 page 46.)
Several Interferry members have made significant inroads into the African market. Damen has established a successful business model by not only delivering vessels but also assigning staff to provide training and support for maintenance. OSK has entered the challenging Tanzanian side of Lake Victoria, known for its turbulent weather and limited communication infrastructure, with the recently launched M/V Mpungu RoPax, which will facilitate freight transport between Mwanza, Tanzania, Port Bell in Uganda, and Kisumu, Kenya.
As the ferry industry in Africa continues to evolve, the Marrakech conference served as a celebration of achievements and a platform for future innovations, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient maritime transport system across the continent
The author thanks David Okafor for his many contributions.
