Global InformationMV Vipya information
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vipya |
| Owner | Nyasaland Railway Co. |
| Port of registry |   Monkey Bay |
| Route | Monkey Bay - Chilumba |
| Builder | A & J Inglis Ltd, Glasgow /Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
| Yard number | 1043 |
| Launched | 1944 |
| Maiden voyage | 1944 |
| In service | 1944 |
| Out of service | 1946 |
| Fate | Capsized July 30, 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger-cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 470 tons |
| Length | 43 m (140 ft) |
| Installed power | steam |
| Propulsion | Petters Standard Design 600 bhp (450 kW) |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Capacity | 315 passengers; 100 tons of freight |
MV Vipya (also spelled MV Viphya) was a motor vessel used as a passenger-cargo ship that sailed on Lake Malawi in Nyasaland (present-day Malawi) from 1944 to 1946. The ferry had a tonnage of 470 tons, was 140 feet (43 m) in length, 27 feet (8.2 m) in breadth, and had a twin crew. Equipped with a motor engine, it could travel up to a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). It was built to carry 315 passengers and 100 tons of cargo.[1][2][3] On July 30, 1946, the ship set sail with 194 passengers on board. It was caught up in a storm near Chilumba in Karonga where it capsized and sank. The disaster resulted in 145 passengers and crew on board drowning. No remains of the bodies have been recovered.[2] The sternwheel ferry disaster is the worst shipwreck in Malawi's (then the British Protectorate of Nyasaland) history.
- ^ "MV Viypa 'Titanic of Malawi - Inside Guide to Malawi". Theeyemw.com. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ a b "BBC World Service - African Perspective, MV Vipya Lake Malawi Disaster". Bbc.co.uk. 13 September 1996. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ "Harland and Wolff - Shipbuilding and Engineering Works". Theyard.info. Retrieved 17 September 2021.