The History of the Bou el Mogdad
The history of the Bou, full of twists and turns, makes it a ship with a unique destiny.
Initially built in the Netherlands for the “Messageries du Sénégal,” the Bou El Mogdad operated from 1950 to 1970, transporting goods and people between Saint-Louis and the northern part of the country along the river. This included transfers via Richard Toll, Rosso (a border town between Mauritania and Senegal), Podor, Kaedi, Matam, Bakel, and up to Kayes in Mali.
At that time, the Bou El Mogdad was an indispensable tool for transporting mail, food supplies, water, and raw materials to colonial trading posts, as road and rail transport were nonexistent.
Saint-Louis Dock in 1950
In 1975, Georges Consol bought the Bou and turned it into a tourist boat, after it had been abandoned for a few years along the quays of Saint-Louis, Senegal. In 1980, the boat began cruises between Saint-Louis and Podor, then left the Senegal River in 1982 due to the construction of the Diama dam. This marked the start of a series of cruises in Casamance, then in Sierra Leone on the Kono River, as well as in Guinea-Bissau and the Sine Saloum.
Several years passed without the boat seeing its beloved Senegal River region. But in 2005, Jean-Jacques Bancal and several associates decided to buy the boat and bring it back to its homeland.
Thus, the boat returned after the long-awaited opening of the Faidherbe Bridge in Saint-Louis, which had not been opened for 20 years! The return of the Bou, after a 300-kilometer journey, was a significant event for all the inhabitants of the river region. On November 7, 2005, the inaugural cruise was organized. And now, the boat sails weekly on the river from October to May.
