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| Sunday, 15 January 2006 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Multi-day
fishing craft sails again
The first of 187 multi-day fishing craft destroyed by the Asian tsunami was replaced recently, costing $70,000. The 38-foot vessel built by a local boat-yard was presented by Minister of Fisheries, Felix Perera, to a recipient, at the Mirissa fisheries harbour in the south. The Fisheries Ministry says that it is now in a position to replace all 187 multi-day boats lost a year ago. This becomes possible with the Netherlands government making available a grant to the Ministry of Fisheries, whereby $25,000 will be given towards the replacement of every multi-day boat destroyed, director general of fisheries, G. Piyasena said. In the case of the multi-day boat presented at Mirissa, the balance $45,000 was obtained from a local commercial bank on interest rates worked out. The pay back period is eight to ten years on a pay-as-you-earn basis. The names of the fishers who lost their multi-day craft following the tsunami have been published in the newspapers. They have been put in touch with one of the seven boatyards around the island, who turn out multi-day craft. These boatyards are Cey-Nor Foundation, Colombo 15, Neil Marine, Negombo, Blue Star Marine, Wattala, Nandani Boatyaard, Beruwela, Kumari Marine, Negombo, JMC Boatyard, Negombo and Silver Marine Boatyrd Beruwela. Cey-Nor had repaired 857 multi-day fishing craft damaged by the tsunami while other NGOs had repaired 123 damaged vessels. But according to a FAO survey, more multi-day vessels than were damaged by the tsunami, have been refurbished by the island's boat builders, funded by the FAO and NGOs. Thus, since October, Cey-Nor has stopped the repair of multi-day fishing craft. However, A J Fishing, a Norwegian manufacturer of fishing gear for export, in the Katunayake Export Processing zone, and the main player in the campaign for replacement of fishing craft destroyed, is still active in the repair of multi-day fishing craft, according to the FAO survey. (EL) |
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