Senegal’s Aline Sitoé Diatta ferry has resumed its rotations between Dakar and Ziguinchor following a three-week technical break, the Senegalese Consortium of Maritime Activities (COSAMA) confirmed on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.
The service is a critical lifeline for the Casamance region, ensuring the movement of passengers, goods, and agricultural products between the country’s north and south.
The suspension, which began on June 30, was a planned preventive maintenance operation aimed at ensuring the ferry’s safety and reliability. COSAMA highlighted that the vessel’s return restores a key component of the maritime schedule connecting the two regions.
“This overnight crossing complements the services provided by the Aguène and the Diambogne ferries, also operated by COSAMA,” the consortium stated.
“Together, the three vessels provide several weekly rotations, strengthening logistical continuity between Dakar and Casamance.”
Introduced in 2015, the Aguène and Diambogne increased both passenger and freight capacity, helping to stabilise transport after years of disruption.
The maritime link plays a vital economic role.
In 2023, the absence of a functional ferry service heavily impacted Casamance’s flagship cashew nut exports. With road transport declared illegal, local producers lost an estimated 1 billion CFA francs, roughly €1.5 million.
The resumption of the Aline Sitoé Diatta’s rotations is expected to alleviate similar economic losses and facilitate smoother trade and mobility.
The fleet’s importance is also rooted in history.
The sinking of the Joola in September 2002, then Senegal’s primary direct connection to Ziguinchor, highlighted the vulnerability of interregional transport.
by the Aguène and Diambogne, gradually restored a structured maritime system, becoming essential for regional mobility and economic dynamism.The launch of the Aline Sitoé Diatta in March 2008, followe
COSAMA emphasised that the Aline Sitoé Diatta’s return underscores the fleet’s central role in linking Casamance to the rest of Senegal, supporting both commerce and community life.
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