Celebrating 8 years of Seychelles Port Authority’s existence-Human Resources - key to Propelling Port Victoria forward! |03 November 2012
Under its new motto Propelling Port Victoria forward, SPA has stepped up its effort to engage all staff to capture and appreciate the strategic direction laid out when it was first created eight years ago.
To become the preferred port of call in the region – thus strengthening its position as one of the key players in the sustainability of the Seychelles economy – has the driving power in all that happens at the SPA.
Eight years have gone by already, and with an all Seychellois team, the SPA is ahead of its short to medium terms schedule, especially with regard to operational and infrastructural goals.
With a 24-hour operations schedule, SPA have a strong and dedicated team that continues to ensure the smooth manoeuvering of vessels. The operations staff got their epaulettes in a special ceremony this year. Marking the event, SPA’s chief executive Lieutenant Colonel Andre Ciseau noted that the wearing of the epaulettes is one of the ways to make the operations staff proud of who they are and their contributions to the smooth efficiencies of Port Victoria and the Seychelles economy in general.
This year four staff qualified as pilots and they were awarded their certificates in a special ceremony hosted by the SPA Chairman. The pilots are:
• Captain Percy Laporte
• Allen Chetty
• Christian Soumerry
• Clement Julienne
Extended limit for Port Victoria
On May 4, 2012, the Port Victoria in Seychelles was officially extended by law through the promulgation of SI.26 of 2012 – namely Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) (Extension of Port Victoria Declaration) order 2012, clocking yet another significant milestone in the modern history of Port Victoria. The new extension will cover all around Mahe, including Fregate, Silhouette and all the other inner islands allowing the SPA to better serve all vessels, ensuring that their safety and security remains within our reach.
The Port Victoria extension
Propelling Port Victoria forward requires a team that is fully dedicated to service and takes pride in working at the gateway of the Seychelles economy, where 98% of goods consumed are passing through. As such, constant analysis has been done to identify strengths and weaknesses so as to build on the strengths and eliminate the weaknesses.
Management development programme
As such, full day management workshop was organised in October of 2012. The aim was to bring around the table all managers and supervisors in order to have a temperature check of the organisation, thus coming out with firm recommendations to better improve 
This is in line with our aim to offer continuous development to our staff. It forms part of the learning pathway for our management staff, with aim of developing management competencies that is required to continue to propel Port Victoria forward.
The management development plan programme is further intended to empower SPA managers and supervisors to acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required to operate confidently and to respond to the challenging economic environment and constantly changing world of work.
A safe and conducive environment for SPA staff
In line with national health and safety requirements, the SPA has continually been on the look out to ensure that the port environments remain safe at all times for all port users. With this in mind, a new health and safety unit was set up to identify and minimise all risks and hazards within the port areas.
With a clear vision of the job ahead of us, the SPA has been ensuring that correct selection of the correct people remains a priority; and that once the people are in place, the right tuning in terms of capacity development takes place to ensure positive results and sustainability.
The selection of the correct propeller indicates the strong recruitment strategy that the SPA has put forward to ensure that whoever joins the SPA family becomes one of the blades that will positively contributes towards the driving of the organisation forward! The selection process at the SPA focuses on competencies! Here, competency is not just about qualifications, but having the right qualifications blended with the right attitude! However, the right type of attitude is paramount, especially the dispensation to be team players. As the propeller has to engage with other mechanical structures of the engine to push a ship forward, the SPA recognises the role of teamwork.
Outdoor team building exercise
Outdoor team building exercise is part of the human resources strategy to improve team spirit among staff of all levels. The exercises are created to inspire trust and allow staff members to open up to each other. It also creates a friendly atmosphere for staff to interact with each other in an informal manner.
Social development of SPA staff
Recognising the social balance of its staff, we ensure that the SPA Family remains together as one. As such, we often organise social outings with a special focus on team building. This includes hiking and beach activities, among others. These are occasions for family members to join in the fun and get to make new friends.
SPA corporate social responsibility
As part of our corporate social responsibility, the SPA has been placing a lot of emphasis on helping the community at large to make a lasting difference in the lives of the people. This year has been marked by the signing of two memorandums of understanding, namely with the Apostolat De La Mer – for the financing towards the construction of a new facility that will assist wayfarers – and the Maritime Training College (MTC). The latter got a boat and an engine to be used during practical sessions. As part of the memorandum, the SPA will welcome eight MTC students per for year work attachments.
A blood donation campaign was done by the SPA on Thursday October 18, 2012, at the Commercial Port in Victoria to assist the Ministry of Health improve their blood bank reserves. SPA wishes to make this activity an annual event.
SPA customer service
In 2011, Port Victoria was a finalist for the Best African Port award. This was as a result of the strong collaborations between the SPA and all its stakeholders. During the past years, we have endeavoured to fortify our cooperation with all local players in the maritime field. As a member country of the Association of the Ports of the Indian Ocean (APIO), the SPA in collaboration with the tourism industry has been proactive in developing cruise tourism strategy for Port Victoria. As such, we have taken part in various international cruise trade fairs to incite potential cruise lines to include Seychelles on their itineraries. Winner of the 2010 best cruise port of the region, the SPA ensures that a formal courtesy call is paid to the every single cruise ship that calls upon Port Victoria. This provides the platform for the SPA to assess the effectiveness of its operation towards the vessels and ensures improvements to its customer service.
SPA Policy Objectives and Strategy
• To maintain a high level of services in its operations
• To regularly review internal administrative procedures in order to make them simpler and more coherent
• To promote meaningful dialogue and consultations with all partners and stakeholders in order to promote mutually beneficial relationships for the benefit of the industry and the country
• To effectively respond to developments in shipping technology with the aim of providing modern and cost effective facilities so as to attract more shipping lines
• To develop effective port security strategies
• To continuously review the SPA’s policy on human resource development and corporate matters.
• To pursue an aggressive marketing strategy for the promotion of the cruise ships and super yachts industry.
• To actively pursue profitable business opportunities
• To extend SPA services in the domain of transshipment
• To remain abreast of regional and international trends
With a strong geo-strategic position, Port Victoria is exploring all possible avenues to make improve the way it is doing business. In the face of regional competiveness, SPA is finalising its 2013-2020 Master Plan which strategically responds to the both our threats and opportunities as the smallest port of the region.
With the continued improvement of our human, operational and infrastructural capacities, the SPA is optimistic that it will be able to propel Port Victoria beyond 2020.
Feature sponsored by the Seychelles Port Authority’s