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$100M reconditioned fishing vessel unused for 3 years
Agri. Ministry says: due to lack of skilled personnel
Kaieteur News – More than three years after the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture received an almost $100M reconditioned marine observation vessel to effectively patrol Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone – the vessel remains unused. This was revealed in the Auditor General of Guyana’s (AOG) 2022 report.
In 2018, a contract was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in the sum of $99.374M for the purchase of the boat.
According to the AG report, amounts totalling $98.579M was paid on the contract as of 31st December 2020.
The vessel was received in April 2020, and was reported to significantly boost the department’s capacity to carry out monitoring and surveillance activities; this is necessary to ensure that all fishing activities are carried out under the prescribed regulations, the ministry said in a release.
The patrol vessel (DPI photo)
The vessel was commissioned by former Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, and was named after the Cavalli (Caranx hippos), an abundant species of fish distributed across both the tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
However, at the time of reporting, it was not put into use. As a result, the intended benefits, which included enhanced production, and improved operational efficiency were not achieved.
Responding to the findings, the Ministry said that the Fisheries Department has indicated that the marine vessel has not been operationalized yet due to lack of skilled personnel. The Audit Office recommends that the Ministry take steps to recruit the relevant personnel and put the vessel into use so that the intended benefits can be realised.
In April 2021, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that the vessel is docked at the headquarters of the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Coast Guard, in Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a visit to the facility in April 2021 had said the vessel would be operational in three months.
Also, DPI reported that funds have also been apportioned in Budget 2021 to procure equipment and other necessities for the boat.
“Hopefully, we can get that equipment purchased as early as possible and to recruit staff. We have encountered some difficulties in recruiting the staff because we hadn’t many responses when the advertisement went out.
“I have asked the Coast Guard to help us point out some of those former Coast Guards who would have worked before, and if they are interested, we can recruit them to help us manage this vessel,” Mustapha said.
Notably, the Ministry was expected to spend some $51 million to fully equip the boat. Mustapha said works must move apace, adding that “many times vessels come into Guyana’s water, and we do not know about these things.” The equipment that would be acquired include compasses, signal flares, and satellite phones to be used in signal-free zones.
“The main stumbling block at the moment is to get competent staff to work on the vessel. I am hoping that we could work along with the Coast Guard and other agencies, so that they can help point us into the right direction so that we can get those skilled people,” the Minister said, DPI reported.
The Agriculture Minister had said too that the new vessel will not operate in isolation, but will assist the GDF team that patrols the waterways.
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- Auditor General of Guyana, Exclusive Economic Zone, fishing vessel, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), unused
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