Lamrana is a ferry designed to travel between the 13 coastal cities of Sierra Leone, West Africa, for use by local communities using local knowledge and resources, including materials, engineering, crafts and marine information.
Sierra Leone is one of the West African states. Similar to other countries in Africa, people are largely living in poverty due to civil war. Redevelopment is underway after long and destructive civil wars, however, there is a lack of infrastructure development after colonialisation.
The project started with a review of the local transportation system through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Advice 2007. The report noted there is 'no regulatory requirement upon internal air operators', 'badly-rutted, unmade roads' are commonplace and problems are evident in the national ferry services where overloading and operating in poor visibility without lights is the norm. The local demand for cheap sea travel is so great that it motivated this project for sea travel redevelopment. Examples from different countries were investigated: visiting boat-building experts; boat renovation facilities; maritime schools and boatyards. Practical issues were identified for design development such as stability, weather protection, access, and lightweight construction in addition to more operational issues such as ownership.
The core concept of this project is the development of a ferry that is reliable and easy to maintain locally, a major goal being to integrate local boat-building methods into the design. Observations were carried out with local boat builders, ferry operators, passengers and fishermen. Stability and safety were identified as the most essential criteria for their future sea transportation.
Lamrana aims to utilise knowledge to enable an adaptive solution that reflects the local needs and changes accordingly, as well as creating a transport icon from local inspiration. It also intends to act as a catalyst for economic and ecological development in Sierra Leone.
