Victoria anchored in Bukoba, Tanzania in 2012.
History
Kenya Colony
NameRMS Victoria
Port of registryKisumu
Routearound Lake Victoria
BuilderYarrow Shipbuilders Limited[1]
Yard number2165[1]
Launched
  • 1959 (Paisley);
  • 5 September 1960 (Kisumu)[1]
CompletedJune 1961[1]
Commissioned22 July 1961[1]
History
Kenya
NameVictoria
Port of registryKisumu
FateTransferred to Tanzania
History
Tanzania
NameVictoria
OperatorMarine Services Company Limited
Port of registryMwanza
Acquired1977
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypeFerry
Tonnage1,353 GRT[1]
Length261.3 ft (79.6 m)[1]
Beam40.0 ft (12.2 m)[1]
Height13.0 ft (4.0 m)[1]
Draught8.3 ft (2.5 m)[1]
Propulsion
Speed13.5 kn (25 km/h)[1]
Capacity
  • originally:
  • 230 passengers;
  • 200 tons of cargo[2]

MV Victoria is a Lake Victoria ferry operated by the Marine Services Company Limited of Tanzania.

Until Kenyan independence from the United Kingdom in 1963 she was the Royal Mail Ship RMS Victoria.[3] She then operated under the Kenyan flag until 1977, when she was transferred to Tanzania.

Building

Victoria was built as a "knock-down" ship. Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited built her at Scotstoun, Glasgow, then dismantled her in June 1959.[1] She was then exported in 1,500 crates via Mombasa[2] to Kisumu on Lake Victoria, where her reassembly was begun in December 1959 and she was launched on 5 September 1960.[1]

She was handed over to the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&H) on 26 June 1961 and commissioned in 22 July.[1] When the ship was commissioned Elizabeth II granted her the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) designation: the only EAR&H ship to receive this distinction.[3]

Service

When commissioned in 1961, Victoria had capacity for 230 passengers and 200 tons of freight[2] and had refrigeration for perishable cargo.[4] She took over the EAR&H's circular service around the ports of Lake Victoria, halving the total journey time to two and a half days[2] which enabled her to serve all ports on the lake twice a week. EAR&H accordingly introduced new fares for passengers and rates for different classes of freight on her.[4]

In 1977 EAR&H was divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and Victoria was transferred to the new Tanzania Railways. In 1997 TRC's inland shipping division became a separate company, the Marine Services Company Ltd.[5]

Victoria was refurbished and due to return to service between Bukoba and Mwanza in June 2020.[6][7] The vessel started servicing the Mwanza-Bukoba route as planned in August 2020 under the name "New Victoria".[8] After a scheduled annual inspection in September 2021 the ship resumed operations one month later. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Victoria". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kenya". Internet Archive. Internet Archive. 1961. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 McCrow, Malcolm. "Marine Services". East African Railways and Harbours. Malcolm McCrow. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Gazette Notice No 3467; East Africa Railways & Harbours; Amendments to Tariff Book No 3". Kenya Gazette. Vol. LXIII. 18 July 1961. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Home". Marine Services Company Limited. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. ↑ Mulisa, Meddy; Sanga, Alex (29 June 2020). "It's all smile as MV Victoria bounces back to business". Daily News.
  7. ↑ Kamagi, Deogratius (10 August 2020). "PM demands swift licensing of MV Victoria". Habari Leo.
  8. ↑ Kamala, James (29 August 2020). "Break of dawn as New Victoria swings into action". Daily News.
  9. ↑ Kaitira, Mgongo (14 October 2021). "Relief as MV Victoria starts services again". The Citizen.
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