OPENING CEREMONY

MAURITIUS MARITIME WEEK 2018

********************

SPEECH BY HON PRAVIND KUMAR JUGNAUTH

PRIME MINISTER

****************

WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY AT 09 15 HRS

VENUE: RAVENELA ATTITUDE HOTEL, BALACLAVA

Colleague Ministers,

Parliamentary Private Secretaries,

The Lord Mayor,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Chairman and Board Members of the Mauritius

Ports Authority,

Managing Director, Transport Events

Management Ltd,

Senior Officials,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Good morning,

It is indeed a great pleasure for me to address you

all at this opening ceremony of the 12th Indian

Ocean Ports and Logistics Conference &

Exhibition.

Page 2 of 15
I wish to extend a very warm welcome to the

foreign delegates participating in the Conference.

This conference and exhibition are part of the first

ever Mauritius Maritime week.

Let me at the very outset congratulate the

Chairman of the Mauritius Ports Authority,

members of its Board, the Director General and

staff for organizing such a major and important

event, in collaboration with Transport Events

Management Ltd, Malaysia.

The Maritime Week actually marks the beginning

of a series of events that are being organised to

mark the 50th Independence Anniversary of our

nation. Mauritius has indeed come a long way

since independence in 1968. The past five

Page 3 of 15
decades have been a narrative of achievements

and of reaching great heights of development

against all odds. It is therefore befitting that as we

celebrate our success as a nation we also stand

ready for the future which is proving to be fraught

with challenges as well.

The Maritime Week aims at promoting Mauritius as

a competitive and attractive place for maritime

business. It showcases the latest achievements in

terms of port development and shares plans for

expansion.

The high point of the Maritime Week is the

conference and exhibition of the Indian Ocean

Ports and Logistics. The conference will be an

effective platform for interaction among senior port

Page 4 of 15
executives, leading shipping lines, cargo owners,

freight forwarders, terminal and logistics operators

from the Indian Ocean Islands and African,

European and Asian countries.

As we put our minds, resources, and efforts

together to build the port of tomorrow, let me

stress that Mauritius is at a turning point in its

history of transportation. Be it for air, sea or land

transport, unprecedented investments are being

made in the expansion, consolidation and

modernization of the infrastructure as well as in

latest technology.

I must say here that I am determined to provide

our country and economy with the transport

infrastructure that can support higher growth and

Page 5 of 15
create more jobs while at the same time improving

the quality of life of all our citizens. I am doing so

because it is my conviction, and I trust you will all

agree with me that the transport sector is a vital

component of our economy and crucial to our

development objectives. Efficient transportation,

whether it is of goods or people, reduces costs

and enhances competitiveness. It is for all these

reasons that Government’s strategy is to have

world class transportation systems, logistics, and

facilities.

And let me also stress that we will not relent in our

resolve on transportation policy. Already, our plan

is to make significant investments, and indeed,

Page 6 of 15
unprecedented investments in our transport

sectors, air, sea and land over the next five years.

In fact, some Rs 40 billion will be invested in

projects that will culminate in the transformation of

our port – in other words, to enable our port to

move from the traditional role of interface for cargo

exchanges between land and sea to an integrated

platform offering a wide spectrum of associated

services and to become a hub in the region.

I am satisfied that we are making good progress

on this endeavor.

Government has revisited the Port Development

Programme and proceeded with the:-

Page 7 of 15
 extension and strengthening of the Mauritius

Container Terminal Quays;

 procurement of additional modern Ship-to-

Shore cranes and yard handling equipment;

 dredging of the navigational channel;

 reclamation of land; and

 elaboration of a new Port Master Plan to cover

Horizon 2040.

In fact, I had the privilege to inaugurate the new

Quay at the Mauritius Container Terminal in

October last year.

Port-Louis Harbour is now positioned as one of the

deepest ports in the South West Indian Ocean.

Page 8 of 15
It is already a full-fledged transshipment hub in the

region and major shipping lines have already

expressed their interests to increase their

container transshipment volumes at Port-Louis.

Going forward, our plan for port development is

well thought-out and we are acting on various

fronts at the same time.

First, Government has initiated the establishment

of a Special Economic Zone at Riche Terre. This

will have the added advantage of giving a boost to

our manufacturing sector as well.

Second, an Island Terminal will be constructed at

Mer Rouge that will expand the capacity of the port

by 1.5 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units. This

Page 9 of 15
development will comprise the construction of a

breakwater of about 2 kilometers long, a

navigation channel 18 meters deep and a

container terminal over an area of about

40 hectares which will be designed to handle and

service the largest container vessels. This facility

will also provide protection against wave action to

the existing container terminal during adverse

climatic conditions and would be instrumental in

reducing downtime at Port-Louis Harbour.

Third, more investments will be made to accelerate

the development of the cruise business segment

which is also showing good potential for growth

and for expanding our tourism products.

Page 10 of 15
With a view to enhancing cruise reception facilities,

the Mauritius Ports Authority is proceeding with the

construction of a dedicated Cruise Terminal

Building capable of accommodating up to 4,000

passengers. Here also, there are good reasons to

hope for rapid and positive developments, as

leading cruise liners such as Costa Croisière, Aida

and Fred Olsen have already started homeporting

from Port-Louis.

This iconic Cruise Terminal Building, which is

expected to be completed by end 2019, will serve

as a catalyst to further kick start development

under the “Les Salines Ocean World” theme which

encompasses the ongoing World Class Aquarium

project.

Page 11 of 15
Fourth, we also see tremendous potential in the

development of bunker trade. Bunker supply has

reached a record level of 405,000 tonnes for

Financial Year 2016-2017, aided to a large extent

by a set of incentives put in place by the Mauritius

Ports Authority.

In order to further develop this trade, the Mauritius

Ports Authority has allocated land in the port area

to private promoters for the construction of

additional tankage facilities, thus increasing the

storage capacity onshore. My Government is also

coming forward, with the assistance of the Indian

Government, with a plan to construct a petroleum

jetty at Albion which is located some 6 kilometers

to the south of Port-Louis.

Page 12 of 15
Fifth, as regards the seafood segment, our aim is

to increase fish traffic handled at Port-Louis from

its current level of 150,000 tonnes per annum to its

potential of 250,000 tonnes per annum.

And sixth, land has been earmarked at Fort

William for the setting up of new dry docking

facility to enable the construction and repairs of

larger vessels.

Indeed, we are clear in our objectives and we are

confident that the port will have a leading role to

play in the development of our economy. It will no

doubt be the fastest growing sector of our ocean

economy over the next few years. The progress

happening at the port and, I should add, on land

Page 13 of 15
transport and at the airport are striking examples

of innovative and forward looking development.

Let me end, by making an appeal to all the

partners of the Port, Maritime and Logistics sectors

to continue pooling their efforts and extend their

collaboration and keep the good work going in the

development of our port.

As a nation we have yet greater heights to

achieve. We must continue our journey with even

greater commitment and with the firm conviction

that we can build the future we all want for

ourselves and our children.

I wish you all pleasant and fruitful deliberations

during the event.

Page 14 of 15
I now have the pleasure to declare the 12th Indian

Ocean Ports and Logistics Conference and

Exhibition open.

**********************************

Page 15 of 15