State-owned passenger vessels suspend Arakan State operations

By DMG 08 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
8 July 2022, Kyaukphyu

Three passenger vessels donated by Japan have temporarily suspended operations in Arakan State, according to sources close to the Department of Inland Water Transport.

The suspension of the state-owned vessels is aimed at repairing parts of the ships, including ensuring that they meet mechanical requirements.

“Once a year, the ships are repaired and repainted, and other parts are inspected. Because the ships are carrying passengers, the ships have to be re-inspected. If something were to happen to the ships, human lives would be in danger,” the source added.

The Kispanadi 3, which runs a Sittwe-Kyaukphyu route, suspended operations on July 6 and the Kispanadi 1, plying a water route between Sittwe, Myebon and Kyaukphyu, ceased operations on June 29. The Kispanadi 2 had to stop its service due to mechanical needs.

A local resident in Kyaukphyu said government-owned vessels were cheaper to take than their private counterparts and had more comfortable accommodation, so government vessels needed to be able to operate with regularity.

“If a Shwe Pyi Tha passenger vessel charges K20,000 per person for a trip, a state-owned boat charges only K15,000. The Kispanadi 3, which runs a Sittwe-Kyaukphyu route, charges K14,000 per passenger,” he said. “Now, all state-owned passenger vessels have suspended operations.”

The state-owned passenger vessels are expected to resume operations in September, according to sources close to the Department of Inland Water Transport.

Japan donated the three passenger ships to be used by Inland Water Transport’s Arakan State division.