Water hyacinth leads to temporary suspension of Ikorodu ferry services by LAGFERRY

Due to the abundance of water hyacinth in the area, the Lagos State Government has banned passenger ferry services to Ipakodo Terminal in Ikorodu.

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) announced in a statement on Friday night that one of the LAGFERRY passenger boats, which was completely packed with people, became trapped on the sea for hours due to water hyacinth.

“Emergency alert, our boat – MF Babatunde Fashola is currently trapped inside water hyacinth at Ibeshe with passengers on board,” reads the initial statement released by LASWA on Friday at precisely 6:25 p.m.Rescue operation continues. We’ll be providing more details soon. I appreciate your cooperation.

We would like to inform all of our valued customers that the LAGFERRY operations from Ipakodo Terminal, Ikorodu, have been temporarily halted until further notice.

We’ll let you know about any new developments as soon as they happen. LASWA expressed gratitude on its social media handles for the collaboration and understanding shown.

In a related occurrence, early on Thursday morning in Lagos, a passenger boat called Oyebola Marine caught fire at the loading point in the Ikorodu ferry terminal, forcing several of the passengers to be saved alive.

According to a statement from the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) management, the fire started as a result of an electrical spark from the boat’s ignition when the deckhand and captain were adding fuel to the engine.

“At about 8.46 am today, November 9, 2023, a commercial passenger boat named Oyebola Marine caught fire at the loading point in Ikorodu ferry terminal,” reads the LASWA statement.

“An electrical spark from the boat’s ignition caused the fire incident while the deckhand and captain were adding fuel to the engine.”

“With the combined efforts of Ikorodu Ferry Terminal Staff, LASWA officials, and several boat operators present at the scene, all passengers on board this boat were rescued alive.”

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“With the help of the fire extinguishers in the terminal hall, the rescue squad managed to put out this fire.

At the jetty, medical staff ministered to the afflicted guests. A number of the impacted travellers had to head back home, while only a small percentage were able to continue travelling.

“At this time, a few of the impacted passengers are helping LASWA gather more details about this regrettable event.

“LASWA has also revealed certain shortcomings and opportunities for enhancement from all parties involved, including itself, to enable such incidents to be minimised to the absolute least.”