 The Ilala leaving Nkhata Bay in 1990
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | MV Ilala II |
| Operator | Malawi Lake Services |
| Port of registry |   Monkey Bay |
| Route | Monkey Bay - Chilumba |
| Builder | Yarrow Shipbuilders, Scotstoun, Scotland |
| Yard number | 1917 |
| Launched | 1949 |
| Completed | 1951 |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 620 tons |
| Length | 52 m (172 ft) |
| Installed power | Diesel |
| Propulsion | Screw |
| Capacity | 360 passengers; 100 tons of freight |
MV Ilala, formally Ilala II, is a motor ferry that has plied Lake Malawi in East Africa since 1951. Every week she crosses the lake all the way north to Chilumba, Malawi, near Tanzania (about 480 km or 300 mi from Monkey Bay) and then returns to Monkey Bay. She carries both passengers and freight, and calls at major towns on both the Malawian and Mozambican coast, as well as at two islands of the lake (Likoma and Chizumulu).
While the ferry is often late (reportedly by as much as 24 hours or more)[1] and has sometimes broken down[2] she remains the most important means of long-distance transport for the people living on the coast of the lake. She is 52 m (172 ft) long overall, has a gross tonnage of 620 tons and can accommodate up to 365 passengers and 100 tons of cargo.[3][4]
- ^ Ilala ferry at Travel Adventures
- ^ Muheya, Green (4 May 2011). "Scores of passengers stranded on Lake Malawi". Nyasa Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
stampswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cruise in Malawi Archived 2010-12-11 at the Wayback Machine