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MV Le Joola
MV Le Joola was a Senegalese government-owned roll-on/roll-off ferry that capsized off the coast of The Gambia on 26 September 2002, with 1,863 deaths and 64 survivors. The majority of passengers were Senegalese, including 854 to 923 Senegalese-French nationals on board. It is thought to be the third-worst peacetime disaster in maritime history, and the worst in the 21st century.
The ship was plying the route from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, when it ran into a violent storm, farther out to sea than it was licensed to travel. The estimated 2,000 passengers aboard (about half of whom lacked tickets) would have amounted to nearly four times the ship's design load. The large numbers sleeping on-deck (and thus above its center of buoyancy) added further instability. Rescue operations did not start for several hours.
A government inquiry principally blamed negligence, and accusations were directed at both the Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade and premier Mame Madior Boye.
The ship was named Le Joola after the Jola people of southern Senegal. Constructed in Germany and delivered in 1990, it was 79 m (259 ft 2 in) long and 12 m (39 ft 4 in) wide, weighed 1,400 tons, had two motors, and was equipped with some of the latest safety equipment available at the time of the disaster. Le Joola usually traveled twice a week and often carried women who sold mangoes and palm oil in Dakar. At the time of the disaster, the ship had been out of service for almost a year undergoing repairs, which included replacement of the port engine.
The ship was introduced as a solution to Senegal's geographical challenge, connecting the separated Casamance region to the rest of the country. Due to the presence of The Gambia between Casamance and the central/northern Senegal, travel options were limited to a damaged eastern road or a western sea route. However, road attacks during a separatist rebellion made the boat journey safer. In 1995, the military took control of the Joola to verify passenger identities, yet overcrowding remained a persistent issue.
At about 1:30 pm on 26 September 2002, Le Joola started from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region on one of its frequent voyages between southern Senegal and Dakar. More than 1,928 people officially crowded onto the ferry, which had a capacity of 536 passengers. 185 people boarded the ship from Carabane, an island where there was no formal port of entry or exit for passengers. The exact number of passengers remains unknown (some Senegalese organizations put the number at more than 2,000), but there were 1,034 travelers with tickets. The rest of the passengers were either not required to hold tickets (children aged less than 5) or had been permitted to travel for free, as often happens. A surviving freight worker noted that from the number of tickets sold, he could see that there would be a significant overcrowding situation aboard the vessel. Reportedly, as it set sail from Ziguinchor, Le Joola was already tilting.
The last call from the ferry staff was broadcast to a maritime security center in Dakar at 10 pm and reported good traveling conditions. At around 11pm, the ship moved into a storm off the coast of Gambia. As a result of the rough seas and wind, the ferry capsized, throwing passengers and cargo into the sea, all within five minutes.
Survivors recalled the ferry overturning swiftly during heavy rain, with one describing the boat tilting before capsizing, causing a flood. Another survivor recounted clinging to the ferry's keel after swimming through a partially open window, while another described being tossed by winds and waves until finding refuge on part of the overturned vessel.
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MV Le Joola
MV Le Joola was a Senegalese government-owned roll-on/roll-off ferry that capsized off the coast of The Gambia on 26 September 2002, with 1,863 deaths and 64 survivors. The majority of passengers were Senegalese, including 854 to 923 Senegalese-French nationals on board. It is thought to be the third-worst peacetime disaster in maritime history, and the worst in the 21st century.
The ship was plying the route from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, when it ran into a violent storm, farther out to sea than it was licensed to travel. The estimated 2,000 passengers aboard (about half of whom lacked tickets) would have amounted to nearly four times the ship's design load. The large numbers sleeping on-deck (and thus above its center of buoyancy) added further instability. Rescue operations did not start for several hours.
A government inquiry principally blamed negligence, and accusations were directed at both the Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade and premier Mame Madior Boye.
The ship was named Le Joola after the Jola people of southern Senegal. Constructed in Germany and delivered in 1990, it was 79 m (259 ft 2 in) long and 12 m (39 ft 4 in) wide, weighed 1,400 tons, had two motors, and was equipped with some of the latest safety equipment available at the time of the disaster. Le Joola usually traveled twice a week and often carried women who sold mangoes and palm oil in Dakar. At the time of the disaster, the ship had been out of service for almost a year undergoing repairs, which included replacement of the port engine.
The ship was introduced as a solution to Senegal's geographical challenge, connecting the separated Casamance region to the rest of the country. Due to the presence of The Gambia between Casamance and the central/northern Senegal, travel options were limited to a damaged eastern road or a western sea route. However, road attacks during a separatist rebellion made the boat journey safer. In 1995, the military took control of the Joola to verify passenger identities, yet overcrowding remained a persistent issue.
At about 1:30 pm on 26 September 2002, Le Joola started from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region on one of its frequent voyages between southern Senegal and Dakar. More than 1,928 people officially crowded onto the ferry, which had a capacity of 536 passengers. 185 people boarded the ship from Carabane, an island where there was no formal port of entry or exit for passengers. The exact number of passengers remains unknown (some Senegalese organizations put the number at more than 2,000), but there were 1,034 travelers with tickets. The rest of the passengers were either not required to hold tickets (children aged less than 5) or had been permitted to travel for free, as often happens. A surviving freight worker noted that from the number of tickets sold, he could see that there would be a significant overcrowding situation aboard the vessel. Reportedly, as it set sail from Ziguinchor, Le Joola was already tilting.
The last call from the ferry staff was broadcast to a maritime security center in Dakar at 10 pm and reported good traveling conditions. At around 11pm, the ship moved into a storm off the coast of Gambia. As a result of the rough seas and wind, the ferry capsized, throwing passengers and cargo into the sea, all within five minutes.
Survivors recalled the ferry overturning swiftly during heavy rain, with one describing the boat tilting before capsizing, causing a flood. Another survivor recounted clinging to the ferry's keel after swimming through a partially open window, while another described being tossed by winds and waves until finding refuge on part of the overturned vessel.