958 passengers from 10 African countries stranded at Calabar seaport

958 passengers from 10 African countries stranded at Calabar seaport

About 958 pas­sengers from 10 countries are now stranded at the Calabar seaport following a break­down of a passenger ves­sel, Emilians – Carneiro, conveying them from Gabon along the coast of West Africa.

Director general, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Mr. John Inaku and the zonal coordina­tor, South South, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ben Ogbemah, broke the news to journalists, saying the information they had giv­en to the media is true and that they had just returned from the Calabar port after visiting the stranded pas­sengers to assess the situ­ation.

Mr. Inaku described the situation as pathetic and assured that the Nigerian government would do ev­erything possible to pro­vide victims with adequate security and comfort.

He said the stranded passengers who include nationals of Nigeria, Be­nin Republic, Congo, Togo, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Si­erra Leone, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Guinea are lan­guishing at the Calabar Port.

He said: "As a result of the problem, two hundred Nigerians who were on board the ship have disem­barked and left by road to their various states.

The remaining 758 per­sons comprising children and 690 adults have been passing through turbulent times since the past one week."

According to him, the breakdown of the ship which occurred on Decem­ber 25 was alleged to have been caused by a leakage on its floor and the mal­functioning of one of its engines.

The victims who are at the facilities of the Sure­line Logistics Nigeria Lim­ited lack food, water, sani­tation and clothing for the children.

He appealed to them to remain calm and obedient to constituted authorities in order to ease their tran­sit to their various coun­tries.

Mr. Ogbenah who was represented by an assess­ment officer, Mr. Abia Ufok, charged them to remain calm and peaceful while waiting for interventions from relevant authorities.

He expressed gratitude to God for protecting them against a mishap that would have sunk the ship on the high sea.

Narrating the ordeal that warranted the berth­ing of the ship at the Cala­bar Port, captain of the ves­sel, Mr. Manuel Uluaresma, who spoke through an in­terpreter, said the vessel was conveying passengers from Garbon to Benen Re­public and other coast of west African countries when one of its engines started malfunctioning on the high sea while a leak­age on the floor of the ship was observed.

He said due to the in­tensity of the situation it became obvious that the vessels could not get to its destination and there­fore, for reasons of safety and protection of life of the passengers, decided to berth at the Calabar port.

Addressing the people, Mr. Inaku described the situation as pathetic and assured that the Nigerian government would do ev­erything possible to pro­vide them with adequate security and necessary comfort.

The captain of the ves­sel assured that concrete arrangements had been made to convey the strand­ed passenger by road to their various destinations at no cost to them since they had paid their fares to board the ship.

One of the passengers, Abdullsalamadu Harma, from Niger Republic, said they were unhappy be­cause there have been a break in communication between the passengers and the ship authorities.

Mr. Acheoukpa Parfait of Benen Republic said he had planned to celebrate the Christmas with his family back home but had been stuck in Calabar.

NATIONAL MIRROR

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