RECENTLY Praslin Express launched its ferry service from Mahe to Praslin and La Digue as well. The freshly refurbished 25.5 meter ferry which has been estimated to be at least 17 years old from its design, arrived in Seychelles last month. It is made of aluminum alloy and was dry docked in Japan, repainted and set afloat in no time. The Praslin Express is threatening to change the way ferry business is conducted in Seychelles forever.
The Praslin Express has 157 seating capacity and a no class seating arrangement. The seats according to SBC are like airplane seats. They may be just that. Everyone is equal from the point of embarking on the ferry. The actual owner of the Praslin Express has not been disclosed by management. Mr. Madeleine at the Praslin Express Inter Island Quay office said the owner does not want to disclose his identity to the public at this time.
It is unclear at this point if the ferry's fuel is being paid in Seychelles Rupees or Foreign Exchange as is the case with Cat Coco. But in Seychelles, not just everyone or anyone jumps into the ferry business. This is usually reserved for heavy weights. How they got heavy is any one’s guess. Whether they will remain heavy after this investment we will all have to just wait and see.
The Praslin Express company vision as I suggested to Mr. Madeleine is: "to bring competition to the ferry business in Seychelles". From its successful start, it is doing just that. A seat on Praslin Express cost SR100 Mahe-La Digue. An economy seat on Cat Coco to Praslin cost SR95 to get to La Digue; it cost another Sr. 40.00 on Cat Roses,making an excursion from Mahe to La Digue costing Sr.135.00 one way. In response to the new ferry on the open seas, Cat Coco has discounted its fares as a special promotional offer during the month of May, making a trip to Praslin from Mahe or vice versa only SR75 one way.
Cat Rose, which does the Praslin-La Digue route 4-6 times a day in 15 minutes, is owned and operated professionally, for a number of years by Captain William Rose; he will not lower prices to compromise safety on the high seas. As Praslin Express implements its scavenger strategy to snap up clients on the Mahe Route and Praslin - La Digue Route, Captain Rose has said he will not enter into a price war with Praslin Express. Instead, he will stake his excellent reputation and excellent service on a value for money gamble that makes safety and comfort of his passenger his utmost concern.
While Praslin Express has a no-class seating arrangement, they call the seating arrangement “open seating", the Cat Coco is loaded with class and service and a full list of amenities which discerning travelers of the inter islands will want to take advantage of. The First Class seating on Cat Coco remains par excellence in the entire region and will not be out done by Praslin Express. The price is also quite handsome at SR185 per seat, one way, to beautiful Praslin. The service aboard is impeccable and Cat Coco Manager Mr. Willy Valentin has promised to continue to up grade and improve services on the route, to keep and increase the tourist and local customer base.
In the wine business, the older your wine, the better it can get. In the ferry business, the older your boat, the more likely it will be less safe if not maintained properly. In Asia, every so often, we see on CNN stories about passenger ferry boats breaking down or sinking, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives. In most cases, these boats have plied the ocean beyond their use by date. But the Owners, in many cases, they are not even known, they push the boats beyond their natural life span.
The Seychelles Government has never established any standards or criteria for the ferry industry. Historically, this business has been run by captain-venture capitalist who invested or built their own boats and they were also owner- operators of the vessels.
Joe Albert broke this tradition with the first Cat Coco. After 8 years of successful service, he ordered the much more deluxe Cat Coco II and sold off the Cat Coco I. When Cat Coco II arrived, Cat Rose a new ferry for Praslin- La Digue also touched our seas.
To minimize stress on the ferries, both Seychellois entrepreneurs used a cargo ship to deliver the ferries to Seychelles. Both ferries are quite new and have performed exceedingly well and provided excellent service for these routes, without any serious incident, thus far.