* The vessel was decommissioned in 2002 due to high operational costs and had been idle ever since
* It was consuming about 10,000 litres of fuel and 250 litres of lubricating oil on a round trip between Monkey Bay and Chilumba
By Patience Longwe, Malawi News Agency (MANA)
Government has indicated that it has launched investigations into why the decommissioned MV Mtendere listed over its side at Monkey Bay Harbour in Mangochi on September 28, 2026.
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In a public statement released on September 29, the Ministry of Transport & Public Works says MV Mtendere, owned by Malawi Lake Services (MLS) Limited, listed while idle at the harbour.
The vessel was commissioned in 1980 as a passenger and cargo vessel but ceased operations in 2002 and was decommissioned due to high operational costs.
The Ministry says the vessel was consuming about 10,000 litres of fuel and 250 litres of lubricating oil on a round trip between Monkey Bay and Chilumba, a factor that contributed to its withdrawal from service.
The statement stated that in collaboration with the Malawi Police Service, the investigation is to establish circumstances surrounding the listing and will provide verified findings in due course.
The grandeur that was MV Mtendere and the state it turned into
Contributing factors for a water vessel to tilt heavily to one side can be due to internal issues like cargo shifting or flooding — thus when the Mtendere was discovered in the listed state, it attracted a lot of social media attention.
Meanwhile, the Ministry says processes to dispose of MV Mtendere together with other idle and decommissioned vessels — including MV Nkhwazi, MV Mpasa and MV Mcheni — are already underway in line with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) Act.
The Ministry has assured the nation that the disposal will be conducted in an open, transparent and accountable manner and that measures are being taken to safeguard government assets awaiting disposal.—Editing by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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