Enlarge image
Part of Lake Malawi from space
Photo: EU / Modified Copernicus Sentinel Data / EO Browser
Every week, the "MV Ilala" always makes the same round: from Monkey Bay it goes over three days to Chilumba in the north, and then back again the following day.
The ship, which can accommodate around 400 people, has been on its route in Malawi and Mozambique for more than 70 years.
Sometimes it's even on time.
The ferry chugs across Lake Malawi, one of the largest in Africa.
The Global Nature Fund and the Living Lakes network have just declared the body of water the "Threatened Lake of the Year 2022".
There was no talk of this in 1949, when the ferry was being built at a shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dismantled into its individual parts, it was taken in 780 packages to its operational area, which at the time belonged to the British protectorate of Nyasaland: first by ship to what is now Mozambique, then by train to the lakeside town of Chipoka, where it was reassembled.
In June 1951, the 50 meter long and 620 tonne ship sailed for the first time - and the "Ilala" is still in service today.
Some of the steel plates of her simple hull have since had to be replaced, and the engines were also replaced in the 1990s – but otherwise the ship is still largely in its original condition.
If she cannot be on the road because of repairs, the newer, but much smaller "MV Chilembwe" takes over the journeys for this time.
The "Ilala" mainly calls at places on the west coast of the lake, but also one on the east coast, as well as the islands of Likoma and Chizumulu.
They are exceptionally good to see in the image taken by the European Space Agency ESA's Sentinel Earth observation satellites on December 9th.
Because they often hide under a cloud cover.
Both belong to Malawi, although they are in the waters of Mozambique.
The small stretch of lake shore that belongs to Tanzania was also used in the past, but this part of the route has now been closed.
Only in a part of the destinations can the ferry dock at a pier, elsewhere the passengers and their luggage are brought on board or ashore by boats of local fishermen.
Sellers of fish, fruit, other travel needs and souvenirs also approach the ship in this way.
For the night, guests can book into some cabins - or, as most do, make themselves comfortable on deck with a tent, mattress, sleeping bag.
Spectacular variety of fish
Incidentally, the ship owes its name to the Ilala region in present-day Zambia, where the missionary and Africa explorer David Livingstone died of dysentery on May 1, 1873.
Strictly speaking, it is actually the "Ilala II", because even before it was deployed, a ship of the same name was sailing on the lake, which Livingstone had called the
Lake of Stars
because of its sparkling water .
At the northern end of the lake are the Livingstone Mountains, named after him, which rise directly out of the lake to a height of up to 2500 metres.
The 560 km long and up to 80 km wide Lake Malawi is Africa's third largest lake.
It is considered to be one of the oldest inland waters on earth.
What is special about it is its depth, which averages 292 meters - in some places the water is more than 700 meters deep.
Responsible for this is the location in the area of the Great African Rift Valley, which also includes Lake Victoria to the north.
The water of the lake is exceptionally clear.
The large number of mouthbrooding cichlid species living here is particularly well known.
Scientists know of hundreds of different species, most of which only exist here.
The mechanisms of the evolutionary adaptation of species can be studied in them just as well as in the species of the remote Galapagos Islands in the Pacific off Ecuador.
The water is getting warmer, the water levels are falling
But the flora and fauna of the lake are not as robust as the good old »MV Ilala«.
Also to protect the perch breeding grounds, the Lake Malawi National Park was set up on the south shore near Monkey Bay in 1980 and has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
Nevertheless, environmentalists see the lake in danger.
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line, a quarter even in extreme poverty.
And the population is growing rapidly.
As a result, overfishing of the lake and pollution of the water have become increasingly pressing problems.
Ecologists estimate that around 70 percent of Malawi's animal protein requirements are met with fish from the lake.
Farming on the banks increases the input of fertilizers and pesticides.
In addition, the lake is susceptible to the effects of climate change: the water has warmed by a good 0.1 degrees per decade.
And the amount of precipitation in East Africa has decreased significantly in the past two decades.
As a result, the water level of the lake has dropped.
At some point, this could also become a problem for the journey of the old steamer.
chs/joe
