Project to improve port services.

A new strategy is being formulated to make Port Victoria a leading regional trans-shipment port

The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Seychelles Port Authority will start work on a plan to improve the competitiveness of Port Victoria, in Seychelles, starting mid-next month.

The project, led by the Trade Section of the Secretariat’s Special Advisory Services Division (SASD), will utilise experts through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC). These experts will examine how Seychelles can build on its existing competencies in the port services sector to attract a larger share of business from the maritime transport market. Their findings will lead to an action plan offering guidance on how to improve the competitiveness of current port services as well as how to promote the port as a viable docking point in the Indian Ocean.

The initiative seeks to help the Government of Seychelles expand its economic portfolio.

The government hopes to double the country’s gross domestic product by 2017 through the development of the financial services industry, expansion programmes in tourism, fisheries, and the growth of other economic sectors which includes a renewed focus on port development.

Port Victoria is the deepest port in the Indian Ocean and strategically located close to major shipping routes in Africa, Asia and Europe. The number of ship containers which are transported between ports on an annual basis has reached above 300 million.

Angela Strachan, Trade Adviser in SASD, believes that this is “a viable opportunity for the country’’.

“In the long term, we hope that the CFTC’s support will help Seychelles to see an increase in the frequency of port calls at Port Victoria,” she said.

Ultimately, the goal of the project is to help boost the country’s trade competitiveness and encourage further investment in the Seychelles maritime industry.