Africa’s deadly ferries | World News

Using boats where roads cannot reach could be a safe way to travel, says Mr Baird, particularly in countries like Congo and Nigeria that have extensive waterways. In rich countries, strict safety regulations mean there is just one death for every 100m passengers. Some poorer countries have also raised their game. Over the past decade, fewer than 500 people died in ferry accidents in the Philippines, compared with more than 1,600 during the previous decade and 4,385 in a single incident in 1987.

But most African ferries are still overloaded, badly maintained and lacking life-saving equipment. Interferry, an industry body, has been working with African regulators and ferry operators to improve things. The biggest obstacle is a lack of resources, says Mike Corrigan, Interferry’s boss.

It is not all doom and gloom. On Lake Tanganyika a ferry safely transported passengers and cargoes of dried fish and pineapples between Tanzania and Zambia for a century before being sent for repairs last summer. Navigation aids along channels and banks, better maintenance and free life-jackets have helped the Lagos State Waterways Authority in Nigeria, among the most dangerous countries for ferry passengers, to make ferries safer on the cheap. If such practices spread, taking a boat in Africa may soon be more enjoyable than hazardous.

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