New passenger shelter at Inter Island Mahé Quay to open soon |01 April 2016

Construction work on the passengers’ shelter project at the Inter Island Mahé Quay is on track and is expected to be completed by the end of April.

The deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) Garry Albert has informed Seychelles NATION that work is well under way and everything is hoped to be ready by the end of this month.

The aim of this project is to provide a proper sitting area for passengers in safety and comfort.

“This new shelter is a dedicated area because at the moment it is simply a port with an office, when passengers arrive they stand outside, sit on benches which there are a few of, they sit and stand anywhere they find fit but now this will provide a sitting area with essential services,” he said.

“Following demands of the public we have also increased the capacity of which the terminal can take where they will be away from elements such as the rain and sun,” he added.

The project manager Dean Zelime and the director business development David Bianchi were also present during the discussion.

This R3.9 million project is fully funded by SPA and has been contracted to Harry Builders.

The infrastructure has been completed but they are still in the implementation phase of various facilities.

The new facilities include two ATM machines, three destination management companies (DMC’s) souvenir boutiques, shops and other businesses have the opportunity to rent out cubicles.

This new user friendly shelter also comes with new, modern toilet facilities for a variety of passenger needs which is 140m².

Facilities have also been upgraded to aid people with disabilities.

There will be an area dedicated for passengers to pick up luggage which will solve the problem of passengers having to collect their luggage on the edge of the jetty.

The taxi drivers also have a special shelter, the perimeter will be fully fenced, and there will be a higher level of security put in place for the safety of the passengers.

The sitting area is an open space of 620m² which can accommodate between 500 and 550 passengers.

However in the near future they hope to introduce a VIP lounge area as they feel the need to upgrade even further.

It is also planned for Inter Island ferry sales office to be expanded and renovated for more office space.

SPA has two committees working on this project whereby one is focused on the opening of the shelter and the other is working hard to implement the business facilities.