Juba welcomes first barge to boost transport
Tristar Transport LLC, in collaboration with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has launched the first accommodation barge—the first of its kind since South Sudan attained independence. The facility is to improve water transport and benefit the flow of goods and services for communities living along the River Nile.
The inauguration ceremony was graced by the Minister of Transport, Madut Biar Yel, and the Indian Ambassador to South Sudan, Vishnu Kumar, among other officials from the ministry of transport.
The Chief Executive Officer of Tristar Transport LLC, Eugene Mayne, said the company was committed to poverty eradication by supporting local communities through education and creating employment for children.
“Over the last 15 years, we have made it our mandate to manage not only our business interest but also to ensure that we are a responsible business and the impact of our business on the communities.”
“Community development is part and parcel of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. This is something at the UN level that is a great question mark. Getting young children educated and giving them the opportunity to develop themselves, their careers, and also their families is a very powerful, result-oriented initiative. “
He said Tristar had been strategic in reaching remote areas and developing fuelling infrastructure for transport hurdles to be sorted out.
The Tristar CEO stated that safety had been a priority in their work, stressing that they had never witnessed someone getting killed in the 15 years of their operation.
He urged all the Tristar employees to uphold the laws of the country and international laws so that their work would have a positive impact other than destruction.
More needed
Madut Biar Yel, the Minister of Transport, praised Tristar Company for the accommodation barge, urging them to build more of them to boost tourism and business among local communities living along the Nile.
“This barge will not only end in Juba, but it will also continue to other places along the Nile and will cross the border into Sudan.” And this is something I want to bring to your attention that it is not only the passenger barge, we are encouraging a lot of badges for goods, even for tourists.”
He added that the facility would create employment and more business opportunities for the citizens.
“It will create employment and business opportunities when we develop facilities along the Nile. Tristar has developed the port of Mangala and will continue to develop the port of Bor up to the last port in Renk so that we can continue doing business with Sudan,” he added.
The minister noted that it would reduce the high cost of transport since water transport was the cheapest compared to railway, road and air transport.
Success
The Country Manager of Tristar Transport LLC, Ravneesh Aujla, said the barge that was launched yesterday was constructed to be environmentally friendly calling it a “landmark construction.”
“We are confident that this will pave the way for more such constructions, which will benefit the movement of the River Nile. Such constructions could create huge employment and business opportunities for the local staff and enhance their technical competence. “
He appreciated UNMISS, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the security agencies for their support in Tristar operations.
