Places Where Boat Is A Major Means Of Transport in Nigeria
We still wonder why our website visitors keep searching for major transportation means in the Niger Delta areas.
The truth is that road transportation is the most accessible means of transportation across the whole of Nigeria followed by water transportation and others such as air and railways.
Despite the above statistics, some people can say road transport dominates every area of the country, well that is for those who have not been in some states in the Niger-delta.
States like; rivers, delta, and Bayelsa have riverine areas, these areas are isolated islands linked with no bridge which made them impossible to be accessed through road transportation.
Therefore, the people inside solely depend on water transportation. And their most fast, affordable, and accessible water transportation is the boats, the boats are mainly ferries and canoes.
Ferry popularly called “ferry boat” or “speedboat” within the area has served as a major means of transportation in the whole areas in Nigeria where the rivers, lakes, or seas were located, therefore; the use of the ferry boat is not limited to the Niger-delta areas only.
The reason so much interest goes towards the Niger-delta areas whenever the boat is being mentioned is that some places in the area have no other alternative means of transport other than water of which ferry stands as the first option.
The popular design of ferry boats being used in the area usually comes with a fiber body, i.e.; the entire body is built with fiber and a suitable gasoline internal combustion engine is usually fixed to them. Meanwhile, for the sake of attaining the required speed, some do fix double gasoline internal combustion engines.
The boat is very light and can carry more than 10 persons per trip attending an average speed of at least 30km/hour but such speed varies greatly in terms of the size of the engine, the weight of the total loads inside the boat which includes the people inside, and the size and material used in making the boat body.
Ferry has served in the islands of Niger-delta for years if not centuries, and it will still stand to be the most preferred because of the following factors:
It is cheaper than ship or tugboats transportations,
It is faster than other means of water transportation,
If the boat capsids, it will float making it possible for passengers to jump into the water and swim,
It costs less to maintain it,
The large numbers of passengers it can carry help to reduce transportation costs.
However, despite all these advantages it offers, the ferry still has the following negative aspect:
It has a limited size and weight of the load it can carry,
It has the highest record of water accidents i.e. capsizing,
Because of its open-top, rain and water are usually a challenge to passengers, especially during raining season.
The boat has been made in different models including those having covered and streamlined top, now ferry models are more than 50 in the market, but what still differentiates them from the initial design is the cost, the one usually used in the islands of Niger-delta is more affordable than the modern designs.
On the other hand, the canoe which stands as another option for those on the riverine has been in existence from the beginning in those areas, the boat is: very cheap, accessible, has no financial cost maintenance, and needs no gasoline.
The major problems associated with the boat are the extremely low speed, small size, manual paddling, and possible cracking of the wood used in making it after some time leading to water leakages and eventual damage.
However, the boat still remains a major transport means for those in that area who cannot afford to travel by ferry or speedboats.
Besides long-distance traveling, some owners of the canoe in the area also use them for short distance movement such as going fishing, farming or visiting someone across.
We hope the little idea about speedboats, ferries, Niger-delta, and water transportation, actually answered your question. The comment form is always available for you to add your own opinion or drop your question.
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