MV Victoria (1959)

Victoria anchored in Bukoba, Tanzania in 2012.
History
Kenya Colony
Name	RMS Victoria
Port of registry	Kisumu
Route	around Lake Victoria
Builder	Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited [1]
Yard number	2165 [1]
Launched	1959 (Paisley); 5 September 1960 (Kisumu) [1]
Completed	June 1961 [1]
Commissioned	22 July 1961 [1]
History
Kenya
Name	Victoria
Port of registry	Kisumu
Fate	Transferred to Tanzania
History
Tanzania
Name	Victoria
Operator	Marine Services Company Limited
Port of registry	Mwanza
Acquired	1977
Status	In service
General characteristics
Type	Ferry
Tonnage	1,353  GRT [1]
Length	261.3 ft (79.6 m) [1]
Beam	40.0 ft (12.2 m) [1]
Height	13.0 ft (4.0 m) [1]
Draught	8.3 ft (2.5 m) [1]
Propulsion	twin Crossley diesel engines, twin screws [1]
Speed	13.5 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. "Victoria". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
2. "Kenya". Internet Archive . Internet Archive. 1961. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
3. McCrow, Malcolm. "Marine Services". East African Railways and Harbours . Malcolm McCrow. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
4. "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.