Dr. Terrence Richard Blackman, Ph.D., is calling for Guyana and Suriname to build a more reliable and modern connection across the Corentyne River, arguing that the recurring problems with the MV Canawaima ferry expose deeper weaknesses in infrastructure and governance.
In his latest GBJ Sunday Essay, “The Corentyne Crossings: One Ferry, Two Sovereigns, and a Mirage of a Bridge,” Blackman examines the recent suspension of the ferry service and questions why a vital connection between the two neighbouring countries remains dependent on a single ageing vessel.
“A border crossing cannot be more reliable than the agreement that maintains it. The river was never the obstacle.”
The Canawaima service was launched on November 6, 1998, as a joint undertaking between the governments of Guyana and Suriname. The vessel transports approximately 200 passengers and about two dozen vehicles and remains the only regulated surface crossing between the two countries.
Blackman notes that the ferry’s difficulties are not new. The vessel has experienced several mechanical problems over the years, including engine failures and extended periods out of service that required substitute arrangements.
He argues that these repeated disruptions should prompt both governments to rethink their approach to the crossing rather than continue responding to each breakdown as an isolated event.
“A ferry is a proof. Not a metaphor for one — an actual proof, executed daily, that two shores a river has separated can be reliably joined.”
The latest controversy emerged in August, when the ferry was suspended only days after a re-inspection had reportedly cleared it to continue operating. Blackman points to differing explanations surrounding the suspension, including statements from the Canawaima Ferry Service, Guyana’s Ministry of Public Works and the Surinamese Maritime Authority.
He says the public deserves greater clarity about what happened and why the vessel was removed from service.
“What the public has not been told is what defect triggered the suspension, whether it appeared after the re-inspection, or on what basis MAS rejected a written assessment from experts of both countries.”
Blackman maintains that the issue is bigger than the condition of one ageing ferry.
“The scandal, then, is not that an ageing ferry was suspended. It is that the only regulated surface crossing between two neighbouring states rests upon one ageing vessel, two governments, divided responsibility, incompatible expert judgments, and no ready substitute.”
His analysis also revisits the long-discussed prospect of a bridge across the Corentyne River, questioning whether the two countries have done enough to move toward a permanent and dependable crossing.
The full essay examines the ferry’s history, the responsibilities of the two governments, the economic cost of service interruptions and the prospects for a more permanent Corentyne connection.
“One ferry is not a crossing strategy. It is a vulnerability.”
The full essay by Dr. Blackman is available on the here on Guyana Business Journal website.
