The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has awarded prizes in its 11th Annual Student Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry, challenging students to design a vessel for the Niger River in Nigeria. The competition focused on a RoPax ferry capable of carrying 150-200 passengers, cargo, and up to 20 four-wheeled vehicles, operating between Onitsha Jetty to Idah Jetty and Onitsha Jetty to Ndoni Jetty in Anambra State.
The announcement of the winners, made in August 2024, comes as Nigeria continues to develop its ferry systems. Lagos, the country’s capital, has seen a significant expansion of ferry services since 2007, now operating 365 ferries on 19 routes with 12 terminals, serving approximately 2 million passengers monthly. The Lagos State Governor recently commissioned 15 additional ferries built by Caverton Marine Ltd., with ten more planned for completion.
Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director of the WFSA, highlighted the potential for replicating the success seen in Lagos along the Niger River. “The competition comes as Nigeria has rapidly created a robust and sustainable ferry system for the city of Lagos. The question now is whether the inland waterways of Nigeria – the Niger River – could enjoy similar successes?” she stated.
The WFSA, a not-for-profit organization, aims to reduce ferry fatalities through innovation in training, technology, and vessel design. The student design competition, now in its thirteenth year, offers $10,000 in annual awards, with the top prize being $5,000. Winners are invited to present their work at international conferences, including Interferry’s annual conference held in Marrakesh in October 2024.
This year’s competition follows previous challenges focused on designing ferries for river systems in Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Bangkok, the Singapore Straits, Manila, Lake Victoria, the Amazon River, the Brahmaputra River, and electric ferries for Manila and Lagos. The 2025-26 competition will again focus on a passenger ferry for the Niger River, specifically between Lokoja and Onitsha in Nigeria. Student teams registering by November 30, 2025, will receive the Terms of Reference, with entries due December 31, 2024.
The WFSA’s work extends to promoting safe and affordable ferry designs globally, with a recent competition winner, ‘Naija Spirit’ designed by Team Black Pearl of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), winning the 12th Annual International Student Design Competition for a safe Lagos ferry in June 2025. The winning design was a 28m, double-deck aluminium catamaran capable of carrying 200 passengers on a 25km route linking Ikorodu to the CMS transport hub in Lagos.
