Guyana-Suriname Ferry Service temporarily suspended at insistence of Suriname

…vessel cleared by experts to sail for 3 more months but Suriname wants immediate repairs – Edghill

…passengers left stranded

Days after the MV Canawaima was cleared to sail following a reinspection amid an imminent sailing ban, Suriname has insisted that the service be temporarily suspended to conduct repairs, leaving passengers stranded in both Guyana and Suriname.
The Canawaima Ferry Service Inc, in a public notice posted on the Facebook page of Guyana’s Embassy in Suriname, announced that the ferry service was suspended effective Saturday, August 22, due to “scheduled works”.
No date was given for the resumption of the service.
“Once the regular ferry service resumes, further information will be communicated through the official channels,” the notice stated, while asking passengers, transport operators and other users to continue monitoring official communications.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill subsequently provided further clarification, saying two technical inspections had been conducted in recent days by maritime experts from Guyana and Suriname.
According to Edghill, the experts from both countries concluded that the vessel could remain in operation until it entered drydock within the next three months.
“Despite these assurances which were provided in writing the Maritime Authority in Suriname (MAS) insisted that certain matters which would have been addressed during drydocking, should be undertaken immediately,” Edghill said.
He stressed that responsibility for the maintenance and drydocking of the MV Canawaima rests with Suriname.
“The Boards on the Guyana and Suriname sides remain in close and continuous communication and are jointly working to ensure a prompt resumption of the ferry service,” he said.
Edghill also acknowledged the disruption caused to passengers and other users of the service, saying efforts were being made to restore operations as soon as possible.
The Public Works Ministry had earlier said the service was suspended “due to technical issues on board the MV Canawaima” and that management was working to have the matter resolved soonest.
The suspension comes amid continuing scrutiny over the condition of the MV Canawaima and only a day after a marine surveyor issued a detailed clarification on the vessel’s condition.
In a letter dated August 21, 2026, and addressed to the President of the Board of Canawaima Management Company and Canawaima Ferry Services, Marine Consulting and Surveyor Waldo Liauw Kwie Fong said the bottom of the vessel had been declared to be in “poor” condition based on a visual inspection which revealed heavy corrosion.
The letter, which referenced Survey Report No. 0801/2026 MCS and an August 13 statement, said the Suriname Drydock Company was requested to conduct ultrasonic thickness measurements at suspected locations identified by the surveyor during the week of August 24.
According to the document, however, the last ultrasonic thickness measurement report from the drydock showed that areas which had fallen below the diminution criteria of International Association of Classification Societies members had been corrected, while the remaining areas were expected to be further measured during the vessel’s next dry-docking.

Vessel declared safe
The surveyor said there were no further leakages or water in the compartments and that previous ultrasonic thickness measurements showed no significant diminution.
On that basis, the vessel was declared safe to operate for three months until dry-docking, with an intermediate ultrasonic thickness measurement exercise to be conducted during the week of August 24.
“Based on the above the undersigned declares the vessel safe to be operated this date of 21st of August 2026,” the letter concluded.
The surveyor also stated that, with regard to the integrity of the hull, corrective works would be undertaken by the Suriname Drydock Company during the week of August 24 to guarantee safe operations until January 2027. Those works were expected to be carried out under the supervision of Liauw Kwie Fong.
The letter also addressed the age and remaining service life of the Canawaima.
“Since the vessel is 30 years old, the economic and service life has been expired,” the letter stated.
It proposed extending the service life of the ferry by another 10 years through a rehabilitation programme.
The document additionally raised several issues relating to the vessel’s documentation and regulatory compliance.
According to the surveyor, the vessel was not in compliance with requirements of MAS Suriname and several international maritime regulations and conventions, including SOLAS, MARPOL, the Tonnage Measurement Convention 1969 and the Load Line Convention.
The letter stated that the vessel did not have a safety construction certificate, tonnage certificate, registry certificate, or load line certificate. It further stated that the Surinamese crew did not have STCW certificates and that an ISM certificate was also missing despite the vessel operating on an international voyage.

The document separately advised that issues concerning the Guyanese crew should be addressed with the Maritime Administration Department in Georgetown, since the vessel is jointly owned by Guyana and Suriname and the Guyanese crew is required to satisfy Guyanese law.
On fire safety, the surveyor said CO2 extinguishers were not required and that the vessel was outfitted with foam extinguishers certified for Classes A, B, C, and electrical fires. A fire pump and backup were also reported to be present.

Stranded passengers
The suspension had immediate consequences for travellers who turned up at Moleson Creek on Saturday expecting to cross the Corentyne River.
When this publication visited the terminal, several passengers were waiting for information on how they could continue their journeys, including travellers heading through Suriname to French Guiana.
Joséphine Chitou Carole, who had spent a week vacationing in Guyana with her family, said the return journey had become complicated.
She said the group woke early and travelled to Moleson Creek, only to discover that the ferry was not operating.
“We arrived here, where the ferry is closed. We had a few explanations, but very few. And we are waiting to be able to stamp our passports to legally leave Guyana, to legally arrive in Suriname, to legally leave Suriname again, to be able to arrive in French Guiana,” Carole explained.
She said the uncertainty was particularly troubling because she is expected to return to work on Monday morning.
“It’s complicated because I work on Monday morning. So, if my boss sees me, he knows that I might be late,” she said.
Another passenger, Geneva Rabraun, who said she lives in the United States, was also travelling through Suriname on her way to Cayenne.
She told this publication that the group left its hotel at approximately 05:00h and arrived at Moleson Creek around 06:00h, only to learn that the ferry was not operating.
“We came here and they say that the ferry doesn’t work. And we were waiting to stamp our passport to go across,” Rabraun related.
She said the passengers were subsequently told that they would have to wait until clearance was received from Suriname before their passports could be processed to allow them to cross.
With some members of the group expected to return to work, Rabraun said they were considering whatever alternatives might become available.
“We probably would because if the ferry doesn’t work and there’s a couple of people that have to go back to work for the week. So, we have no options,” she said.
Also stranded was Randy, a Paramaribo-based transport operator who said he has been transporting tourists on and off since 2016.
He related that when the group arrived at Moleson Creek, they learnt that the ferry was not working and were left awaiting further information.
For Randy, his immediate concern was getting his passengers across the river so that he could make arrangements for another vehicle to collect them in Suriname.
“For me, it’s important if my passengers can go over, then I arrange a bus on the other side. I don’t care if I have to stay a few more days, but my passengers, because they are tourists, they are not from here,” he explained.
The operator said this was not the first time he had experienced a disruption involving the ferry, estimating that it was the fourth or fifth such occasion.
With no indication at the time of when the ferry would resume operating, Randy said he was hoping arrangements could be made for immigration formalities to be completed so that the passengers could cross the river using a smaller vessel and continue their journey from Suriname.
“For now, I hope that we can stamp our passports and go over with a small boat…and stamp on the other side,” he said.
Tour operators affected
The suspension has also affected tour operators.
Georgetown-based Tropical Tours said it was closely monitoring the situation and would provide updates to clients who booked upcoming tours.
“Due to the unexpected and sudden halt of the Canawaima Ferry service today, Saturday, August 22, 2026, we are currently awaiting an official update regarding the situation,” the tour company said.
Tropical Tours added that it was assessing the situation and would make the necessary arrangements once further information became available.
“Our priority is to ensure that any decisions made are in the best interest, safety, and convenience of our passengers,” the company said.
Sailing ban
The suspension follows weeks of concern over the MV Canawaima after Surinamese maritime authorities identified safety deficiencies aboard the vessel.
Earlier this month, the ferry faced the prospect of being prohibited from sailing after authorities found that a number of previously identified deficiencies had not been remedied.
Following a reinspection on August 13, however, the vessel was permitted to continue operating, allowing the river link between Guyana and Suriname to remain in service while technical follow-up continued.
The latest suspension has now raised fresh uncertainty over when the regular ferry service will resume.
Edghill said the Guyana and Suriname boards remain in communication and are working together to secure a prompt resumption of the service.
“The Canawaima Ferry Service understands the inconvenience this situation is causing to users of the service and wishes to assure the public that everything possible is being done to resume the service as soon as possible,” he said.
The service has apologised to passengers and users for the inconvenience and asked for their patience and understanding.