SPA’s future plans well defined, says minister |22 August 2016

The minister responsible for transport Joel Morgan has said that future plans of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) are very well defined and have been well prepared and together with his support and guidance they are making great progress towards realising those plans.

Minister Morgan said this during the recent official opening of the new Inter Island Quay terminal.

Elaborating on the plans, Minister Morgan said on La Digue there are plans to improve the facilities. The wall where the SPA offices are situated down to the slipway will be rebuilt. A new slip piling will be put in place to make it safer and more conducive for users.

At the La Digue jetty itself, the hangar facility will be extended as it is overcrowded.

“We have noticed that the facility is too small and compact and there is the danger of people falling into the water due to overcrowding,” said the minister.

On Praslin, the proposed development of a new terminal on Eve Island has already been approved by the Seychelles Planning Authority.

“This is a very significant project which will completely solve the congestion currently experienced at the Praslin jetty. The existing terminal will be replaced by a new state of the art facility. I believe this shows the ports authority is making a lot of progress in its development plan. This is because there is a team in the authority who is determined and have the country’s interest at heart,” said the minister.

The new quay to be built on Eve Island will have the capacity to receive four boats - the size of the current ferries presently serving the Mahé, Praslin and La Digue routes – at once. In addition to accommodating more ferries at once, the new jetty will also incorporate a very spacious main building aimed at providing clients with the ultimate travel experience and provide passengers with a better experience when waiting for their ferry.

After Eve Island, Minister Morgan said there is a big project in the pipeline with the financial assistance of the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank and l’Agence Française de Développement, to extend the new quay at Port Victoria all the way to the ex-coastguard quay.

“There will be a new quay about 600m in length which is being extended a bit out approximately 40 metres, to create more space. This will increase the quality and competitiveness of Port Victoria,” said the minister.

He remarked that Port Victoria is very important to the country as a considerable amount of goods enter the country through there.

“It is time to venture into this new investment to ensure the economic development of our country,” Minister Morgan said.