MOAF TO IDENTIFY AVENUES FOR FISHERY PORT OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT
According to Dr Khalid Mansoor Sabil al Zadjali, DirectorGeneral of Fishery Harbours, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, serious thoughts have been envisaged in Oman to find out methods and concepts and on how to manage and operate fishery harbours for economic viability and development based on the application of best investment practices.
One of the concepts under consideration is to manage and operate fishery harbour through willing investors and entrepreneurs for a period of 25 years which is to be renewed for further periods.
Currently there are 23 existing fishery harbours operating from the northern tip of Oman: from Musandam Governorate to southern tip of Oman — the Dhofar Governorate — which has 3165 kilometres of Oman seashore, providing state-of-the-art facilities and services for more than 45 thousand fishermen folk in addition to the amateur entrepreneurs who is enjoying the sea and its nature and fishing.
Almost 20 thousand boats and various kind of fishing vessels are plying in the Oman seas and Arabian seas totalling a landing of 257 thousand tonnes fish catches worth more than RO 230 million for which the government is truly proud of.
Dr Khalid emphasised that currently, the Ministry is working on development of 13 fishery harbours out of which four consultancy services is for new harbours at Mahout, Al Shuwaimiyah, Sadah and Rakhyout and other nine are of existing — Kumzar, Lima, Dabba, al Khabourah, Quriyat, Al-Ashkarah, Masirah, Mirbat and Dhalkut.
All the consultancy services are presently under the detailed design stage and will be completed by the end of December 2016. Surveys like topographical, bathymetrical, geo-technical investigations are all completed. Physical model tests have to be performed on few harbours which are under planning to start.
FACILITIES The general facilities in the fishery harbour consists of protected water basin, berthing facilities like quay walls, floating pontoons, boat ramp, skiff beach, navigation (ship lift facility in some harbours) and land based facilities like administration buildings, fish market, workshops, restaurants, cafes, boat repair facilities, ice factories and fuelling facility.
In some harbour ROP/Coastguard facilities, fast ferry facilities, tourism facilities are available. The total area for facilities in these harbour comprise approximately one million square metres.
BIDDING Dr Khalid further deliberated the idea of announcing Bidding from the willing Investors recently in Barka fishery harbour. Before making such bidding announcement, the Ministry studied all the technical and legal aspects to develop, manage and operate.
The marine works of the Barka Fishery Harbour were completed this year and Taqah Fishery Harbour in 2015.
The government expects to develop service facilities and leisure facilities like most modern fish market, ice plants, canning factory, fish processing, boat repair and maintenance, fishermen rest room, stores, recreational activities, restaurants, cafes, marinas, leisure boat repairing yard, dining activities/ clubs, hotels and other diverse marine activities and will consider any new ideas put forward by the investors.
All development shall be with highest international standards and keeping the hygienic norms like HACCP* to the fish and fishery products.
Dr Khalid explained that the marine works for Taqah and Barka is ready for operation and management for investment as it is finalised for construction very recently and ready to handover to the impending investors. Programmes are under formulation for the investment of other harbours during the coming months.
Dr Khalid is hopeful that investment in fishing harbours will be beneficial at least for a period 25 years, subject to the renewal of the lease agreement and grace period of 3 years from the date signing of the agreement with the possibility of providing additional space in the event of the investor request for such space depending on availability.
Dr Khalid envisages that the fishery harbours in Oman should be developed on a par with the European harbour where he and his team visited few harbours in Europe like Spain. He greatly impressed the way they are managing and operating the harbour.
The Spanish experience greatly influenced the Ministry’s technical team, for example, the de Geniaralita fishing port — in the Spanish Catalonia region.
According to them RO 6.4 million will come through the public services together with ultra-sophisticated machineries and equipments viz-aviz crane, maintenance and repair of vessels and the delivery of services like electricity, water, sanitation for fishing crafts, boats, yachts and rentals of ships and pleasure cruise boats and vehicles in addition to the returns of rentals of investments and return from the fish markets, commercial centre and aquarium/marine life.
They are under their vision and opinion these incomes can cover the all the salaries, wages, related to the operation of port and 19.5 per cent of regular taxes, advertising, while 56 per cent of these financial returns and profits are surplus to fund port to port development and future investment.
The Ministry hopes that by offering these fishery projects for investment, they can maximise the economic returns of the harbour so that they can manage the port from this income and there are possibility of job opportunity for future generation and the fishing community as a whole.
*HACCP, or the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system, is a process control system that identifies where hazards might occur in the food production process and puts into place stringent actions to take to prevent the hazards from occurring.