Vincent Degert, the newly appointed Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Seychelles, visited the Seychelles Ports Authority on October 14, for an update about the Port Victoria Rehabilitation and Extension Project.
The visit started with a brief meet in which the chief executive of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), Ronny Brutus, welcomed Ambassador Degert and thanked the European Union for assisting SPA with financing for the project.
During the meeting, Director for Projects and Infrastructure, Franky Laporte, briefed Ambassador Degert about how the project to extend and modernize Mahe Quay, a multi-purpose deep water port, serving cargo vessels, cruise ships, naval vessels, fishing vessels, fuel tankers and bulk cement carriers, came about and its current status.
At present, a consortium made up of two consulting firms; Project Planning & Management based in Sofia, Bulgaria and Oriental Consulting Group, based in Japan, are undertaking the consultancy to produce the detailed design of the new port.
The tendering for the civil and dredging works is expected to begin in June 2020, with the first phase of the civil works planned to start in January 2021 and the new port opened in January 2023.