Commonwealth port experts re-visit Port Victoria |10 August 2017

Expert consultants in the field of port development and maritime traffic demand forecasts from the Commonwealth Secretariat (Comsec) are assessing information they have gathered in Seychelles recently, to update a previous report.

The three representatives from Comsec – Mike Mundy, Andrew Penfold and Sujeevan Perera - were in Seychelles recently to collect information to update a 10-year-old study on the maritime traffic and demand for ports services in Port Victoria when placed in the context of developments in the Indian Ocean region.

Their findings will be used for new analytical forecasts to present the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) with a comprehensive study – crucial in charting a new activity growth model for Port Victoria.

This latest exercise is the result of an initial study SPA held in collaboration with Comsec in 2008.

“A few years back, we sought the assistance of the Commonwealth secretariat who commissioned the help of the experts to examine demand trends in the regional maritime and ports sector so as to determine what approach to take when drafting our own policies and action plans to develop Port Victoria and help us adjust and orient our strategies towards subsectors such as containerisation, industrial fishing, cruise tourism, super-yachts and so on..,” business development director, David Bianchi, said.

Containerisation encompasses all the aspects of shipping a container into a port – from the vessels to safely delivering said shipping containers in the yard at the port.

Soon after the study was completed and its conclusions and recommendations handed over to SPA and the Seychelles Authorities in 2008, maritime insecurity caused by piracy severely hit the Indian Ocean - effectively skewing the report’s findings and projections. The insecurity critically damaged the ‘natural’ flow of traffic in our region.

“Most of the ports in the region felt the strain of piracy as the number of cruise ship calls to port plummeted, for instance super yachts port calls went down to almost zero. Attacks on transiting vessels also forced cargo ships to take long detours outside demarcated danger zones before arriving to their port destinations, which as we know increases freight and insurance costs,” he added.

The severity of the challenges piracy presented to the region, diminished the recommendations of the 2008 study causing it to be shelved.

However, now that the maritime security situation has been contained and confidence in the region continues to improve, SPA has thought it wise to re-look at the 2008 report. It is for this reason it is updating the recommendations and adding new technical areas of interest that would complement other recent assessments and studies in respect of the Port Victoria expansion and rehabilitation project.

Comsec chose Mundy Penfold Limited (MPL) as the consultancy firm to carry out the scoping work in line with its tender procedures.

SPA says that after the heavy week the experts have had in the country gathering information, it expects to receive a comprehensive document from Comsec in the near future that will help guide the future strategic development of the authority.

“Together with other study recommendations, the findings of the Comsec report will help SPA make optimal use of the new port infrastructure, keeping Port Victoria cost-competitive and ahead in the game when looked at in the context of the regional port and maritime industry,” Mr Bianchi explained.

He went on to add that the port and maritime industry was very dynamic with so many port activities and developments fast happening in Eastern African countries as well as in the islands of the Indian Ocean. At the same time, maritime traffic and demand for port services are evolving and shifting relatively rapidly respectively.

“It is therefore, critically important to know what is happening around us and prepare policies, plans and actions in order to remain relevant and cost competitive as a port. It is important to carry out such a review periodically, such as every 10 years,” he concluded.

During their visit the three experts also met the chairman of the SPA board Paul Hodoul and SPA chief executive Col. Andre Ciseau at the SPA headquarters.

(From left to right): Mr Perera, Col. Ciseau, Mr Hodoul, Mr Mundy and Mr Penfold