Last week, a ferry on the waters of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania. 136 deaths were confirmed on sight, and the toll kept rising out of the approximately 300 passengers on board. While this is a terrible tragedy, an event like this could have been easily avoided if Tanzania had access to more proper aquatic and computer technology.
The author of the article included a similar incident that occurred over 20 years ago. In 1996, about 500 people died on a ferry crossing the same region of the lake. This happened again off the coast of Tanzania in 2012, killing 145 people. This most recent incident shows the lack of advancement the country has made in either engineering or importing safer and more durable ferry ships. Many Tanzanians were gathered around the gate as they approached the dock, which was the initial event that led to the capsizing of the boat. While this could be at the fault of the crew, it can be fairly assumed that a more up to date ferry could have prevented this.
Another point made by the article was how the exact amount of people onboard the ship could not be recognized, since the person dispensing tickets drowned alongside the only machine that held the data. Since no official records could be recovered, the death toll and amount of people on the boat could not be calculated. This data could very well have been kept if technology on the mainland could synchronize with the machine on board the ferry. At very least, the data from the computer could’ve been given to someone not on the ship before departure, thus keeping the records of passengers. The ferry accident displayed the flaws in the passenger count systems, and leaves much to be desired from the ferry and its technology, to say the least.
One final thing to point out, the article cited that the ferry also was carrying several pounds of corn and cement. While this is most likely a result of the lack of infrastructure within the country, it does display the lack of capital in quantity. The carrying of cargo on the ferry ship created unequal weight distribution on the ship, and was one of the many factors that led to the capsizing. If Tanzania could improve their aquatic domestic trade technology, as well as improve technology on the ferry, the risk of another capsized ferry will greatly decrease.