Minister Morgan and his delegation inspecting the new facilities at the Bel Ombre (photo above) and Providence fishing ports

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.

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