JEDDAH, 23 May 2007 — As part of an official clampdown on vessels that fail to comply with international safety standards, marine transportation authorities in Egypt and Saudi Arabia have stopped a number of ferries from carrying passengers between the two countries across the Red Sea,
Reliable sources from the Saudi Seaports Authority said currently five ferries are operating between the two countries. “A lack of adherence to safety regulations was the main reason behind ferry disasters such as the sinking of Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98 last year,” said the source.
The vessel, carrying 1,318 passengers, sank in the Red Sea between the Saudi port of Duba and the Egyptian port of Safaga. Only a few of the passengers survived.
Emad Abdul Aziz, an employee at a pilgrims’ transportation company, said, “The stoppage of the Red Sea ferries coincides with the Umrah season. This will affect the movement of Haj and Umrah pilgrims from Egypt to the Kingdom, something that has already seen a 40 percent decrease since the Al-Salam 98 sinking.”
He added, “Stopping ferries has increased problems relating to transportation between the two countries. A lot of pilgrims are traveling by air rather than by water. And some people have even changed their travel plans because of the price difference.”
Ferries will continue to be stopped from operating over the next few months, which coincide with the peak Umrah season due to summer vacations in both countries.
Ahmad Al-Aufi, owner of the Al-Zarka Travel Agency that operates as a proxy for ferries between Egypt and the Kingdom, said, “There are procedures that have to be applied to avoid disasters. This includes keeping luggage in special containers that have been specially made for the purpose. Stopping ferries will negatively affect the travel operators in Egypt and the Kingdom and will affect travel between the two countries.”
He added that new vessels that have been set aside to ferry pilgrims across the Red Sea, such as the Jamea 2, would not be enough to meet demand. He said at least 20 vessels are needed between Jeddah and Safaga alone.
A plan, which was approved by Egyptian officials a year ago, has been set to develop marine transportation between Egypt and the Kingdom.
Many pilgrims choose this economical form of transportation when traveling from the African continent in spite of the occasional tragic incidents and the sorry conditions of under-regulated vessels.
Top-heavy ferries are notoriously ill-designed to handle choppy waters or minor collisions with other ships or reefs. Most of these ferries are decommissioned in the developing countries and then become hand-me-downs for use in poorer countries, where regulations are virtually non-existent. To maximize capacity, owners modify the ships by adding extra floors, exacerbating their already poor top-heavy design, increasing the chances of fatal overturns.
