Port extends night time service |12 May 2005

The night time service was offered to vessels below 120 metres long in May last year but after staff training and an improvement in the port's navigational facilities the largest visitors to Port Victoria will also be able to use the all day service.

The increase in access comes at an increased cost, with port fees 50 percent higher for the out of hours service.

However, the Seychelles Ports Authority's chief executive officer Lt. Col. Andre Ciseau said that ship owners will likely be happy to pay the extra fee rather than spend time waiting to use the port.
"Shippers would rather pay than wait, it costs them more to wait," said Lt. Col. Ciseau.

The head of Land Marine, the company which provides stevedoring services at the port, also said that the company's fees would increase to cover the night time work, but by a relatively low amount.

Land Marine chief executive officer Hughes Adam said that the firm would add a R2,500 mobilisation fee – to provide transport to bring in its workers – and a R400 per hour, per gang fee, to put the staff on stand-by while they wait for the ship to come in.

Asked if he approved of the round the clock opening hours Mr Adam said, "if we can improve the service and it is for the benefit of everyone," it would have his backing.

The move to a 24-hour service has required relatively little infrastructural change at the port, beyond the addition of extra navigation lights, with the most important developments taking place in human resources.

Lt. Col. Ciseau said that staff have received additional training to handle the after-dark big ship movements.

No new staff have been taken on to cover the extra hours. Instead shift duty, over-time pay and on-call allowances have been introduced to keep the port running.

Lt. Col. Ciseau said he believes that the changes will help boost the port's regional standing.

"Because of the new strategy of marketing Port Victoria more effectively and aggressively, we believe there is a possibility that more vessels call in here, because if they find that Port Victoria gives good service there is a great possibility that the volume of traffic may increase," he said.