On November 6, regional transport authorities confirmed that the long-serving cross-border ferry MV Canawaima, which has operated the critical route between Suriname’s South Drain and Guyana’s Moleson Creek across the Corantijn River since 1998, will be pulled out of service starting this Saturday for urgent large-scale maintenance. To avoid full disruption to passenger and cargo flows between the two neighboring nations, officials from Suriname and Guyana have coordinated a cross-border operational agreement that will see Guyana’s pontoon vessel MB Sandaka take over the entire ferry route temporarily. The exact duration of the MV Canawaima’s downtime remains undetermined, as officials note the timeline will depend on two key factors: the full scope of technical issues uncovered during a mandatory hands-on inspection of the 25-year-old vessel, and the lead time required to source and ship specialized replacement parts. The Guyanese Ministry of Public Works formally announced the temporary service shift in an official statement, confirming that MB Sandaka will begin regular scheduled operations on the Corantijn River starting this weekend. Senior transportation ministers from both countries, alongside national maritime regulatory bodies, held a series of closed-door coordination meetings in recent weeks to finalize contingency plans, ensuring no interruption to the vital cross-border link that thousands of commuters, traders and freight operators rely on daily. Guyana’s Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill told local outlet Demerara Waves that no firm timeline for the MV Canawaima’s return to service can be set until technical teams complete a full diagnostic assessment of the vessel, as unaddressed underlying faults could extend repair work far beyond initial estimates. The MV Canawaima, originally purchased with European Union funding, has grappled with persistent mechanical and safety flaws for an extended period. Earlier this year, Suriname’s Maritime Authority (MAS) ordered the ferry suspended immediately after inspectors identified multiple unmitigated safety hazards, but the service was restarted just days later after hundreds of travelers were left stranded on both banks of the Corantijn River, leaving the required critical repairs unfinished. Looking ahead, Suriname has already tabled a formal proposal to replace the aging MV Canawaima entirely with two brand new modern ferries, a plan driven by the vessel’s deteriorating condition and projected sharp growth in cross-border traffic spurred by the rapid expansion of Guyana’s booming oil and gas sector. Regional economic analysts note that the coming years’ projected GDP growth across both nations will significantly raise demand for reliable, high-capacity passenger and freight transit between the two countries, making a long-term upgrade to the Corantijn River ferry infrastructure a pressing priority. For the duration of the MV Canawaima’s maintenance period, the MB Sandaka will operate on adjusted publicized schedules to minimize delays for cross-border travelers and commercial freight shipments.