Work on New Fishing Port To Start Soon Japanese funded

Work to build a new fishing port at Providence and a modern ice plant at the Bel Ombre port is due to start soon.

An artist’s impression of the new fishing port at Providence and (inset) the new ice plant at Bel Ombre

Worth an estimated $11 million, the projects are gifts from the Japanese government to Seychelles and will be carried out by Japanese contractor Penta-Ocean Construction.

Another Japanese firm, Acoh Corporation, along with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), will act as consultant on the projects, which will take about a year to complete.

Work on the new fishing port is due to begin immediately and on the ice plant in May.

The port will feature an administrative block, a fish-handling shed, storage for gear, an ice plant and mooring buoy, as well as landing, mooring and bunkering quays.

The ice plant at Bel Ombre will be one of the most modern to be built here.

It will have the capacity to make six tons of plate ice a day, said to be of better quality than the flake ice being produced at existing plants. It will have storage space for up to a cubic metre.

Technicians from the SFA and the contractor visited the two sites yesterday to discuss last-minute details and adjustments to be made to the plans before work begins.

Yesterday’s sites visit at Bel Ombre (above) and Providence to discuss last-minute details and adjustments to be made to the plans before work begins

Speaking during the visit, SFA’s Clifford Toussaint said the projects will modernise the fishing sector and bring immense benefit to the fishing communities.

He said the new port will solve major congestion issues at Victoria fishing port, as it will give fishermen an alternative base. And the ice plant will ease the lives of fishermen from the northern region, as they will no longer have to travel to town to get ice.

“Moreover, they will not have to transport ice over long distances, which means the ice will still be of good quality when used, and as a result it will conserve the quality of fish better,” said Mr Toussaint.

Both projects will be handed over to the SFA in March next year, when other plans to extend the port at Bel Ombre and develop the fishing sector in general will be considered.

Source Seychelles Nation
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SBC Seychelles: Renovation of the Artisanal Fishing Port.wmv 01-02-11

Seychelles President James Michel has opened the Providence Fishing Port at the Providence Industrial Estate in the presence of the Ambassador of Japan to Seychelles, Mr. Shigeo Iwatani, former President James Mancham, government ministers, and other dignitaries. The event was also attended by fishermen, as well as representatives of port-based agencies.

The artisanal fishing port is an US$11.52 million project, which was financed by the government of Japan.

The President thanked the government and the people of Japan for making this project possible, which he said would greatly aid the Seychelles economy.

“I am very proud of this project. I think it is an impressive project, and this is the result of an active cooperation between Japan and Seychelles. Japan is an important partner in the fisheries sector and helped us a lot in artisanal fisheries in the past. This new fishing port will help us a lot as our fishermen will have the facilities to develop their operations. I spoke to some fishermen today, and they are very happy with the new port facilities,” said President Michel.

The second phase of the Providence Fishing Port will be developed in partnership with the private sector. This will include a fish processing plant that will comply with the European Unions phytosanitary standards.

“The second phase of the project will really invigorate the fishing industry, as fishermen are able to create value-added products. I can reassure you that the government will continue to provide all the necessary facilities to fishermen so that they can catch the fish and create wealth in the sector.”

The new fishing port has a 110-meter-long quay, with a 2.5-meter water draft in the access channel and alongside the quay. Facilities at the port include navigational aids, an ice-making plant, a blast freezer for fish storage, gear stores, electricity points, and a loading-unloading shed, as well as an administrative building. The government of Seychelles provided the reclaimed land for the port, constructed a road to the port, and also dredged the channel and the port area.

Source: Seychelles Tourism Board

The new US $11 million artisanal fishing ports at Providence and Bel Ombre are now ready, Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Transport Joel Morgan said after visiting them on Monday.

He was accompanied by principal secretary for natural resources and transport Veronique Herminie, project manager Clifford Toussaint of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), and district administrators Pharisianne Lucas at Bel Ombre and Frederick Barratt at Providence.

The two ports, which were built with Japanese aid, were handed over to the SFA yesterday and fishermen will soon be able to use them, Mr Morgan said.

A new artisanal quay has been built at Providence, where there is a 10-tonne ice-making plant, 23 fishermen’s stores, a cold store and an administrative block, while the Bel Ombre fishing port has a six-tonne ice plant.

The facilities are aimed at decentralising fisheries services, thus reducing congestion in Port Victoria as boats relocate to Providence and Bel Ombre. The SFA said this will make operations safer and allow more effective quay management.

Mr Morgan said he was impressed with the quality and speed at which the work was done after starting last year.

He said a processing plant will be built at Providence later, which will provide a better supply of fish and fish products for local use and export.

“All the equipment has been tested and the facilities will be officially opened in June,” he said at Providence, where a rainwater harvesting system has also been installed.

The facilities will be run jointly by the SFA and the Seychelles Ports Authority, although Mr Morgan said they will, in the future, be handed over to the private sector.

He said the new ports are a further sign of the commitment the government is showing to sustain artisanal fisheries, which are of significant economic importance.

As with the industrial tuna fishery, the artisanal sector is vital as it supplies food for both residents and tourists, he added.

Source Virtual Seychelles

Victoria se dote d’un port de pêche industriel

20-June-2014

Un premier port destiné à accueillir uniquement des bateaux de pêche industrielle, particulièrement les thoniers opérant dans l’Océan Indien, a été officiellement ouvert, mardi matin, par le Président James Michel.

L’ouverture de la nouvelle infrastructure située sur l’Ile du Port et qui était en service limité depuis l’année dernière, faisait partie des manifestations marquant la Fête Nationale du 18 juin.

L’invité d’honneur aux célébrations du 21ème anniversaire de la Troisième République, le Président de Cabo Verde Son Excellence le Dr. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca, a assisté à la cérémonie tout comme de nombreux ministres, représentants de l’Union Européenne (EU) et d’autres invités entourés pour l’occasion de la famille locale de la pêche industrielle.

Acceptant le nouveau quai – dont son ministère sera, par le biais de l’Autorité du Port des Seychelles, chargé de la gestion – du président du Conseil d’Administration de l’Autorité de Pêche seychelloise, M. Philip Michaud, le Ministre de l’Intérieur et des Transports, M. Joël Morgan a expliqué que la construction du port répondait à la ‘Stratégie Seychelles 2017’ visant à renforcer les bénéfices financiers de la pêche aux Seychelles en maximisant la production et l’exportation et tout en transformant Victoria en un centre régional de première ampleur pour la production de nourriture issue de la mer.

Il a rajouté que le quai qui représente l’investissement du gouvernement dans les infrastructures et la mise en place des mesures pour assurer la compétitivité, sera d’importance capitale pour la réalisation de ces objectifs. Dans cette optique, il a souligné qu’il sera un catalyseur pour l’industrie thonière, offrant des facilités pour la transformation du thon ainsi que la valorisation des prises accessoires qui bientôt ne seront plus autorisés à être jetées à la mer, l’assemblage et la réparation de filets, le stockage de sel, la réparation de bateaux etc.

Le ministre Morgan a rappelé l’importance de l’exploitation de l’économie bleue, vu que notre océan est notre ressource principale :
« Les Seychelles sont un petit pays insulaire dont la ressource principale est la vaste zone économique exclusive qui l’entoure. Assurer le développement durable de cette ressource est une priorité pour le gouvernement. L’initiative de l’économie bleue prônée par le Président depuis quelques années, s’inscrit dans cette initiative de pérennisation de la ressource maritime tout en assurant sa durabilité pour les générations futures. Ce nouveau quai permettra de développer davantage le potentiel de l’économie bleue aux Seychelles et son bon développement en fera un exemple de la région ».
Il a conclu que le quai fait partie de la stratégie du gouvernement pour assurer un partenariat indispensable avec le secteur privé, maintenir la position du Port de Victoria comme premier port de débarquement et de transbordement de thon dans la région et s’adapter à la compétition. Le nouveau développement a-t-il assuré, va contribuer de manière significative à garantir la subsistance de notre peuple et la résilience de notre pays face à une économie globalisée.

Le nouveau port de pêche industriel a reçu la bénédiction traditionnelle du prêtre catholique Roger de Commarmond et de son homologue anglican, le révérend Danny Elizabeth.

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Providence fishing port to be extended

23-March-2016



The Providence fishing port will be extended to include fishery facilities like an ice plant and also accommodate small and medium-sized fishing boats.
This follows the signing yesterday of the External Fisheries Facilities on Mahé Island Phase Two accord between Seychelles and Japan.
This phase two project will cost US $12.3 million.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Seychelles government by Wallace Cosgrow, the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries; Tatsushi Terada, the Japanese ambassador to Seychelles; and Keiko Sano, chief representative of the Japan International Corporation Agency (Jica) which has been the key actor in the materialisation of the project
“This phase two project comes at a very good time where we are at the point of seeing growth in fishery, where we are seeing lots of demands for products. We are looking at value addition, we are looking at improving the lives of the artisanal fishermen,” said Minister Cosgrow after the signing.
He added that the phase two of the project will add more facilities for the artisanal fishermen such as an ice plant and additional space for berthing.
Minister Cosgrow stated that the expansion of the Providence fishing port will allow for better services.
“Due to the rate the artisanal fishery is growing, it is therefore important to have much better facilities. The expansion of the Providence fishing port will provide for a better service for the fishermen and the community,” he said.
He added that artisanal fisheries are vital due to the fact that so many people are involved in this industry that is growing so fast.
He said work on the expansion of the port will begin by the end of the year. Construction will take probably one and half years to complete.
For his part Ambassador Terada noted that both Seychelles and Japan are maritime nations and the prosperity of the fishery sector is indispensable for both countries’ national economies and for the livelihood of both peoples.
Mr Terada also remarked that his government is in full agreement with Seychelles in upholding the banner of the Blue economy.
Highlighting the importance of maintaining an ice plant, Ambassador Terada announced that the government of Japan in collaboration with Jica will embark on a technology transfer where they will train Seychellois engineers to fix and maintain the plants.
Ambassador Terada spoke of the upcoming conferencein African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi inAugust.
After the signing, both Seychellois and Japanese delegations proceeded to the Providence fishing port to familiarise themselves with the services on offer there.

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Australian Blue Economy Aquaculture Challenge launched in Seychelles

23-March-2016

The high commissioner of Australia to Seychelles, Susan Coles, has officially launched the Australian Blue Economy Aquaculture Challenge in Seychelles.
The Challenge seeks innovative solutions from around the world to generate sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.
The launch ceremony took place on Monday at the University of Seychelles (UniSey) campus at Anse Royale in the presence of the vice-chancellor of the UniSey, Professor Dennis Hardy, lecturers and participants of the Blue Economy Research Institute of the university.
The AU $3 million Blue Economy Aquaculture Challenge is about developing aquaculture technologies and systems that grow economies, improve the lives of the poor and achieve positive environmental and social impacts.
It aims to seek the most innovative and impactful solutions from around the world to the grand challenge of creating a blue revolution for our oceans.
Led by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Challenge was announced by Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop during the Indian Ocean Rim Association Council of Ministers meeting in Padang, Indonesia in October 2015. The Blue Economy Aquaculture Challenge runs from February 29 to June 30, 2016 with the award winners using the AU $3 million to help develop their solutions and innovations.

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