MV Victoria
Encyclopedia
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.
at Scotstoun
, Glasgow built Victoria in 1960. She was then "knocked down" and exported to Mombasa
in 1,500 crates and reassembled at Kisumu
on Lake Victoria
for the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
(EAR&H) in 1961. When the ship was commissioned Elizabeth II
granted her the Royal Mail Ship
(RMS) designation: the only EAR&H ship to receive this distinction.
When commissioned in 1961, Victoria had capacity for 230 passengers and 200 tons of freight and had refrigeration for perishable cargo. 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 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.
In 1977 EARH was divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and Victoria was transferred to the new Tanzania Railways Corporation
. In 1997 TRC's inland shipping division became a separate company, the Marine Services Company Ltd.
Lake Victoria ferries
Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships carrying freight and passengers between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on Lake Victoria...
operated by the Marine Services Company Limited
Marine Services Company Limited
Marine Services Company Limited is a Tanzanian company that operates ferries, cargo ships and tankers on Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. MSC was the Marine Division of the Tanzania Railways Corporation until 1997. The company's head office is at the former TRC building in Mwanza on...
of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Until Kenyan independence from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1963 she was the Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship , usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, a designation which dates back to 1840, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract by Royal Mail...
RMS Victoria.
History
Yarrow ShipbuildersYarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
at Scotstoun
Scotstoun
Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...
, Glasgow built Victoria in 1960. She was then "knocked down" and exported to Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
in 1,500 crates and reassembled at Kisumu
Kisumu
Kisumu is a port city in western Kenya at , with a population of 355,024 . It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter...
on Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
for the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
The East African Railways and Harbours Corporation was formed in 1948 for the new East African High Commission by merging the Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours with the Tanganyika Railway of the Tanganyika Territory...
(EAR&H) in 1961. When the ship was commissioned Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
granted her the Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship , usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, a designation which dates back to 1840, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract by Royal Mail...
(RMS) designation: the only EAR&H ship to receive this distinction.
When commissioned in 1961, Victoria had capacity for 230 passengers and 200 tons of freight and had refrigeration for perishable cargo. 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 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.
In 1977 EARH was divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and Victoria was transferred to the new Tanzania Railways Corporation
Tanzania Railways Corporation
The Tanzania Railways Corporation ' is a state-owned enterprise that runs one of Tanzania's two main railway networks.When the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation was dissolved in 1977 and its assets divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, TRC was formed to take over EARH's railway,...
. In 1997 TRC's inland shipping division became a separate company, the Marine Services Company Ltd.