Womesa Seychelles visits the Seychelles Ports Authority |23 February 2023
Womesa Seychelles organised its first activity for this year with the aim of learning more about the role of the port in the maritime sector.
This took the form of a boat trip facilitated by the Seychelles Coast Guard to have a seaside view of the port (IHPS, new and old), marina (Marine Charter and Eden), then followed by a visit at the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) at the New Port.
The visit culminated with a presentation conducted by the deputy chief executive of SPA, Dr Egbert Moustache, on the management of the operational role of the port.
During the visit at the SPA, the members saw two tuna vessels unloading their goods into the cargo container. It must be noted that such operation is dangerous, but port safety was being observed during the process.
Members also saw the new tug boat, St Anne, which is used to assist ships in places where they are unable to manoeuvre themselves, such as narrow water channels and ports.
At the end of the visit, members recognised the value of Port Victoria as a crucial infrastructure supporting the shipping industry, the maritime sector and Seychelles’ economy.
The shipping industry is the global industry and continues to play a vital role in being the backbone of the world economy. Ninety percent of goods are carried by sea. It has been estimated that the operation of merchant ships contributes about US $380 billion in freight within the world economy. About 60 percent of the goods imported in Seychelles come by sea. Port Victoria (old and new) plays an important role in the socio-economic development of Seychelles.
The SPA was established in October 2004 under the SPA Act (2004) to manage Port Victoria, a multi-functional port and the main international gateway to the Seychelles economy. The port operations at the Mahé Quay comprise mostly cargo and fish handling, yacht and leisure craft.
The maritime sector comprises different fields such as fishing, shipping, marine conservation, port and logistics, maritime law, law enforcement, maritime conservation and much more. One of the core aims of Womesa Seychelles is to raise maritime awareness and encourage members to learn more about the different fields within the maritime sector.
Womesa Seychelles was registered as an association under the laws of the Republic of Seychelles in 2015. However, the Seychelles Chapter was officially launched during the 8th Annual Conference of Womesa.
The aim of Womesa Seychelles is to integrate women in the mainstream of maritime activities as well as to promote and encourage women’s role and involvement in the development of the Blue Economy concept.
They also work to promote women’s access to quality employment in the maritime sector through education, training and career opportunities; to lobby for increasing the percentage of women at senior management and all levels within the maritime sector; to enhance the inclusion of women in the maritime sector through partnership and collaboration with development partners and to actively support the advancement of women to managerial and higher levels in the maritime sector and thereby strengthen the maritime capacity in the region so as to promote safe, secure and efficient shipping on cleaner oceans.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the port visit by members of Womesa Seychelles.
Vidya Gappy
Photos contributed
