Cat Cocos welcomes two new captains in its fleet, including a first female |17 May 2023

Mr Albert in a souvenir photograph with the two new captains at the head office of the company at Providence (Photo credit: Benjamin Tambara)

After five years in the service of Inter Island Boat Ltd, Ray Payet and Marie-Jeanne Pathon have successfully received their captainship license.

This license allows both of them to operate vessels with a carrying capacity of 1000 tonnes.  

It was the chairman of Inter Island Boats Ltd, Joe Albert, who was at hand to change the shoulder pads of the two first officers into one with four bars indicating their captainship status.

“The Inter Island Boats takes pride in having a Seychellois team driving the company forward. From now on all of our five boats will be manned by a competent Seychellois team paving the way for future youngsters to join the fleet,” stated Mr Albert.  

As the first female captain onboard the Cat Cocos ferry, 39-year-old Pathon, who is a resident of Baie Lazare, is a former student of the Seychelles Maritime Academy with vast experience working on ships. She has previously had a spell on tankers as well as other landing crafts in Seychelles.

“This is the culmination of many years of experience in the maritime industry and I hope that other Seychellois women will follow in my footsteps. Women have shown many times that we can be as good as men in some domain and I am proud to be adding to that milestone,” stated Ms Pathon.

Travelling regularly to La Digue is also a source of pride for Mr Payet who is the second Diguois to serve as captain on the high-speed ferries of Cat Cocos since it started operating in 1998. 

“The sea has always been a part of us, a part of our family and a part of our tradition as Diguois and with this new achievement, there is a sense of accomplishment that is shared by all,” stated Mr Payet.

The Inter Island Ferry Ltd wishes the two new captains the best of luck in their career onboard Cat Cocos.

Contributed