By
Michele Witthaus |
The Aluminium Boats Company of Brisbane, Australia has signed a contract with the Lagos State Government and the Eko Water Buses consortium for the construction of 60 ferries for various Nigerian routes.
According to industry body Interferry, this follows a recent Memorandum of Understanding between the Lagos State Government, represented by the Private Public Partnerships Office and the Lagos State Waterways Authority, and Eko Water Buses. The first ferry will be deployed in a pilot scheme by July 2012 with a further five more brought into service by December 2012. Each vessel will carry 200 passengers.
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and his entourage were received in Brisbane by a representative of the Premier of Queensland, the Australian Treasurer and Minister for Trade, Tim Nicholls, and Aluminium Boats Company of Australia’s CEO Stuart Pascoe and general manager Tommy Ericson, as well as Eko Water Buses COO Muyiwa Omololu and the consortium's technical partners. Signatories were invited to experience a ride on a prototype ferry.
About 50 Nigerians will participate in a comprehensive training programme in marine operations, boat services and repairs in the boat building facility of Aluminium Boats Company in Brisbane, prior to the full commencement of the ferry services operations.
Financial institutions backing the ferry construction project include Westpac institutional Bank of Brisbane, Commercial Banking of Australia and the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation.