Goede ontscheping bedden Godetia

Alles goed aangekomen! De burgemeester had het zeer druk en is bezig met de voorbereidingen van de komende presidentsverkiezingen, waardoor een courtesy call ontbrak. De Belgische consul, de heer Pierre Sarr heeft natuurlijk wel de Godetia bezocht.

Behalve de Burgemeester en de Public Relations Officer was er niemand op de hoogte van de goederen die zich in de Godetia aan boord bevonden. De goederen werden daardoor zeker door de juiste mensen afgehaald. De laatste weken zijn de telefoonverbindingen met Gambia bijzonder slecht.

The people of Ostend in Belgium recently donated a 20-foot container to the Banjul City Council at a presentation done at the seaport in Banjul.

Speaking to this reporter, the commanding officer of A960 GODETIA, Jan Dujardin, revealed that the 20-foot container they came along with has such essential items as wheelchairs, hospital beds, and clothes.

According to him, Ostend is the godfather city of GODETIA. Commanding Officer Dujardin said that was the fifth time the ship had come to The Gambia in which he was twice the commander.

"Ostend has a good relationship with Banjul," he said, adding that the relationship has lasted for a number of years. He also said the ship earlier left Belgium on 27 April 2011.

Mr Dujardin said the gesture was not the first of its kind, noting that last year they brought some boards with panels to put on the roof of the hospital.

Prior to their arrival in The Gambia, he said, they were first at Cotonou in Benin. He adduced that whilst in Benin they took a crew of 25 people to sea and trained them before the arrival of new vessels.

He said the training lasted for three weeks after which the trainees where brought back to their base.

He finally gave assurance that the ship would arrive in Belgium on 27 May 2011.

Hier in Oostende kijken we in elk geval uit naar 16 juni, datum waarop we de commandant en de bemanning van de Godetia verwachten voor een ontvangst op het Stadhuis.

Met oprechte dank voor verschepen van de goederen, een behouden vaart en goeie thuiskomst.