Alternative routes

Kallicharran disclosed that his department's approach to sand banks is to first find alternative routes for navigation rather than removing them because the cost of dredging is exorbitant. He said also that regular inspection of the rivers is usually conducted to detect where sand banks are located and to observe the general condition of the navigable areas in the river.

The Harbour Master in-formed that the river maps for the three main rivers are usually prepared by the British Admiralty after a survey of the rivers by staff of the hydrographic section of the Transport and Harbours Department. He said that the present map for the Essequibo River was prepared a few years ago and is slated for a review.

Kallicharran added that previously a review of the map was done regularly but at present the department was operating under serious financial constraints so that procedure had not been done for some years.

According to him, the Captain of the MV Clipper, Philip Diekmann, was given one of the maps and he was accompanied by two local captains along the river. "On our map the area where the ship ran aground was clear and navigable but that sand bank developed later and since the captain was guided by the map he couldn't tell whether the sand bank was there," Kallicharran said.

In addition, he said, before a foreign vessel enters the country information about the river which it would be sailing in is provided to the ship's authorities. "But one of the main factors we take into consideration before any ship enters the country is the size of its draught (the depth to which a ship sinks in the water)."

Draught

Kallicharran said that the average draught for a ship which could traverse the Essequibo River without a problem is 4.7 metres, which the Clipper had, but he acknowledged that after the problem the vessel encountered, that would now be changed.

The Harbour Master added that a comprehensive survey and dredging of the Essequibo River is in train after which the present chart would be updated and all navigable routes would be clearly demarcated.

Kallicharran maintained that the Essequibo River is still suitable for a cruise ship but one must first take into consideration the size of the ship and its draught. "It is obvious if the draught of the ship is over the requisite size the ship will definitely experience problems. But after the survey we would be in a good position to advise anyone who wants to use the river," he assured.

He said that the MV Clipper is a relatively small ship and if it had such a problem the prospect for larger ships visiting the country is not bright. "MV Clipper is relatively small compared with some other cruise ships so if they are thinking of bringing others they would have to think strongly of the draught."

The Harbour Master said that the Demerara River "has good depth and because most of our exports and imports come through Port George-town, special attention is being placed on its maintenance."

Floating hotels

Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism Manzoor Nadir said that at this juncture his ministry would be considering all the implications for the development of a viable cruise tourism sector. "This would include an examination of the possibilities of ships cruising along other rivers, for example, Berbice and Demerara. Based upon what the feasibility reveals a carefully mapped out strategy would need to be developed."

Nadir told Stabroek News that despite the problem the MV Clipper experienced the Essequibo is still a possible route for cruise ships, adding that his ministry would explore possibilities with the Ministry of Works (Transport and Harbours Department) for creating such a channel. Moreover, Nadir said, apart from the cruise ship there are possibilities of floating hotels on the rivers. He said Guyana can also look at the yachting segment of cruise tourism. According to him, a few yachtsmen have visited the country and have been asserting that this is a good area to develop.

Touching on the sand bank problem, Nadir said it was the responsibility of the shipping bookers, sea freight and T&HD to pilot the ship up the river. "These agencies possess the expertise and technical knowledge to do so. They were aware of the sand banks," Nadir argued.

He confirmed that Captain Diekmann, the tour agent and T&HD had worked closely together prior to the trip and all assurances were given that the trip was very manageable. He said tourists would return given the types of tourism products that Guyana offers. "Tourists generally would return to a destination which offers a good experience. This was the case with those who visited on the MV Clipper, many of the visitors indicated that they would return and at this point there is no reason to doubt."

He posited that the likelihood exists that other ships which target the special interest market as the MV Clipper did would consider Guyana a potential destination to visit. "It is anticipated that the publicity which this visit attracted would encourage other cruise lines to visit Guyana. These cruise lines would however need to be of similar capacity to the MV Clipper Adventurer," Nadir advised.