Kissy and Tagrin ferry terminals

The route and the terminals

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says a car and passenger ferry runs between Tagrin on the Lungi side and Kissy in eastern Freetown ¹. It says the crossing takes about one hour and runs only when there is enough demand ¹.

A 2009 report for the UK government put Tagrin about 20 km from the airport ². It said ferry fares were fixed by the Ministry of Transport ². Awoko reported in 2022 that the Kissy ferries used the Kissy Dockyard landing site and that another ferry, the MV Bai Bureh, was based at Government Wharf ⁶.

Fares reported in 2022

On 24 October 2022 Awoko Newspaper, in a report with no byline, published fares given by ferry manager Alusine Daramy ⁶. He said fares had risen with fuel costs and inflation ⁶. The amounts below are as printed in the article, which gives no unit beyond Le ⁶. This site has not found a newer official fare list.

Vessels and reported problems

Awoko, as reported by Alie Turay on 3 December 2013, said two 9pm ferries normally ran on the Kissy route ³. It reported that only one ran on 29 November 2013 after the Government Wharf NASSIT ferry ran aground ³. Passengers told the paper the ferries were overloaded and in poor condition ³.

Awoko, as reported by Edna Smalle on 27 June 2016, said four of the five ferries run by Great Scarcies and MV Mahera Ferries were under maintenance ⁴. General manager Alusine Daramy said the route had become muddy and shallow and asked for it to be dredged ⁴. He said the Ministry of Transport and Aviation had agreed to fund repairs ⁴.

In August 2017 Awoko, as reported by Zainab Joaque, said the ministry estimated repairs at US$406,013.98 for the Mahera, US$49,053.64 for the M.V. Muzui and US$375,782.92 for the Bai Bureh ⁵. It said the ministry had asked the World Bank, through the Ministry of Finance, for US$2 million in support, including remedial works at Kissy and Tagrin ⁵. Awoko spells the second Kissy vessel Muzui in 2017 and Muzurk in 2022 ^5,6.

In October 2022 Daramy told Awoko that three old ferries were running and that one had broken down on the way to Lungi and was anchored for repairs ⁶. He said he had heard the ministry speak of two new ferries, but did not know whether they were bought or leased ⁶.

Planned studies

On 29 May 2025 UNDP Sierra Leone published a tender for a feasibility study on ferry transport and tourism sites, reference UNDP-SLE-00202 ⁷. The scope includes field assessments at Government Wharf and Tagrin Terminal and preliminary engineering designs for ferry terminals ⁷. It includes a review of ferry operators and port authorities and of pricing for users ⁷. The deadline was 25 July 2025 ⁷. This site has not found the study's results.

Safety advice

• Rough seas in the rainy season, May to October, can delay or cancel boats ¹.
• The FCDO advises against wooden pirogues, canoes and other unregulated boats without lights or safety gear ¹.
• Water taxis timed to flights are an alternative to the ferry ¹.