Mahé Quay turns 50 |07 October 2023
Cutting the anniversary cake to celebrate the milestone
- New logo unveiled
By Patrick Joubert
Mahé Quay, the commercial port of Victoria commonly referred to as the New Port, yesterday celebrated its 50th anniversary.
To commemorate the auspicious occasion, a special ceremony was held at the New Port where in attendance were the President of the Republic, President Wavel Ramkalawan; First Lady Linda Ramkalawan; Vice-President Ahmed Afif; the Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne; ministers; members of the National Assembly; the chief executive of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), Sony Payet; other local and international dignitaries, as well as present and former staff.
The highlight of the ceremony was the unveiling of the new SPA logo by Mr Payet and the chairman of the board, Gilbert Frichot and the launch of the Port Victoria Management Information System (PVMIS) by President Ramkalawan and the Minister for Transport, Anthony Derjacques.
The PVMIS is to allow all stakeholders to get access to information for fast clearance of goods, cargos and passengers, as well as to link up with other domains related to sea travel, transportation, loading and disembarkation.
The Mahé Quay was inaugurated on October 6, 1973 by the then British Governor, Sir Bruce Greatbatch. At that time it was only 264 metres long, constructed by Costain Civil Engineering Company Ltd. Work was carried out from 1984 to 1985 to extend it by 106 metres, to 370 metres, which is its length to date.
In his keynote address, Minister Derjacques, who gave a brief on the port’s history, said that the inauguration of the port in 1973 triggered a speedy development in trade and commerce thus allowing the country to flourish economically in different folds over the years to come. As a result, more constructions were made possible, which has, in consequence, helped the government to implement many of its capital projects.
“50 years of Mahé Quay is testimony that our small port that we call Port Victoria has indeed evolved over the decades. It also denotes 50 years of successful trade and commerce, 50 years of progress, and most of all 50 years of service to Seychelles like the celebration’s motto states. This port has helped to facilitate transportations, importations and exportations, tourism development, maritime development, growth in the fishing industry and so much more,” Minister Derjacques said.
He stated that with more demands on the local side for importations, exportations of fish – principally tuna – and growth in the tourism industry, Seychelles’ economy has continued to bloom, and the Mahé Quay has served as a catalyst to expose the capital city, Victoria, to the rest of the world.
Mr Derjacques added that the terminal is home to thousands of tourists who disembark in the country during the cruise ship season, where statistics show that during the 2018/2019 season, there were 69,467 passengers on aggregate. These included passengers embarking, disembarking and in transit, combined. Some 63,442 passengers were recorded in the 2019/2020 season amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Outlining a few statistics on port calls over the past five years, in terms of general cargo, Minister Derjacques said that 717 port calls were recorded for general cargo, 229 for bulk cargo, 141 naval vessels or auxiliaries, 3,227 fishing vessels and 217 reefer vessels. In terms of number of container transactions, just last year, 43,393 TEU of containers landed in Port Victoria. This figure included the full, empty and transshipped containers. Additionally, 42,241 TEU of containers was recorded on the loading side. This amounts to a throughput of around 85,000 TEUs in 2022. Containerisation at Mahé Quay started in the late 1980s after the construction of the southern part of Mahé Quay where an additional 106 metres were built with a deeper berth.
Minister Derjacques noted the construction of Mahé Quay has indeed brought about an array of perks and creating job opportunities to Seychellois while significantly a number of private companies which operate at the port have also been conceptualised. Furthermore, other smaller facilities and terminals such as the Inter Island Quay, ERO Terminal, La Passe Jetty, among others, have been built through the income generated by the business activities that occur at Mahé Quay which is functioning in its entirety and on a 24-hour basis, with a series of actors involved, each playing their part to ensure that it remains relevant at all time.
“Looking back over the years, this day makes us realise that we have come a long way, and although we are at the peak of development, there is still more to be done and achieve. With the project to expand the Mahé Quay on the table, it will surely help to boost the lacks which currently exist in trade and commerce,” said the minister who extended a special salute and thanks to everyone who has contributed in the development of Mahé Quay, to ensure it remains relevant and efficient.
For his part, Mr Frichot pointed out the important task of modernising the port to ensure it corresponds to the country’s present needs.
“Our board of directors’ main objective is to render the port operations more efficient, reduce the cargo transit time and maintain reasonable cost, leading to a positive impact on our standard of living,” Mr Frichot said.
The head of state also had few words of thanks and encouragement for former and present workers whom he said have raised the level of service delivered over the past 50 years.
He noted that the focus now was on new structures, which will further improve services and security. He also thanked the EU for its support and commitment.
“Continue to hard work, keep your enthusiasm, and continue to give the good service so that the port will continue to bear the good image. As we continue in seeking the best way forward, we will ensure that this project is materialised in the shortest time possible and that our country will indeed receive a facility that will cater for the next fifty years,” President Ramkalawan said.
Elaborating on the PVMIS, EU representative, Ambassador Milko Van Gool, said it was an honour for the EU to have been associated with the setting up of the system, shifting it from manual to automation, thus improving efficiency in operations.
He noted that the system forms part of the EU’s continued commitment towards the expansion and rehabilitation of Port Victoria.
“In the integrated regional value chain, it will enable Seychelles to expand its regional trade and transport and facilitate import and export and thus hopefully help mitigate the rampant rise in the cost of living in Seychelles for the benefit of its entire population. European Union is proud to be part of it,” Ambassador Van Gool said.
The two-hour ceremony included video presentations of the port, performance of a new song titled ‘Port Victoria’, composed by Raymond Clarisse and sung by Kevin Moumo, as well as distribution of a commemorative book to honourable guests.
The ceremony ended with the blessing of the Mahé Quay by Father Colin Underwood from the St Joseph Church, Anse Royale and Reverend Christine Benoit from the Holy Saviour Church, Anse Royale, followed by tossing of flowers into the sea in remembrance of those who have perished at sea.
