St Helena service promotes trade and tourism

Namibian meat finds its way to St Helenian shops Kevin Mayhew FROM SEPTEMBER this year until April 2006 the RMS St Helena will provide a slightly revised schedule including a voyage to the UK from Cape Town and return again in November. It will maintain its Namibia calls and this pattern will be repeated in March-April 2006. The vessel commenced its regular 23-day service from Cape Town to Luderitz and Walvis Bay and then on to St Helena and Ascension Island in late September 2004. “Voyages have been slightly lengthened by some reduced speed steaming because of the current very high world oil prices,” according to Captain Bill Langworthy of Andrew Weir Shipping, which operates the RMS on behalf of St Helena Line Limited. This helps to reduce fuel consumption but does not affect the Walvis Bay, Luderitz, Cape Town legs as these were adjusted from the outset to give them practical sailing and arrival times which connect with flights for our passengers, he explained. “To institute a new service always carries risks, and while the shipowner can see - to some degree - opportunities in the market, what he cannot see is what opportunities it provides to merchants and entrepreneurs who look at a service and can then identify new areas where they can improve or enlarge their businesses. Hopefully the RMS’s year-long trial will give businesses sufficient time to capitalise on her very regular named day sailings,” he added. The calls at Walvis Bay have provided the RMS with cargo for the island fed from the UK/EU and also allowed faster transit time to the island with connecting flights via Windhoek, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Walvis Bay has become a shopping destination for St Helenians and as knowledge of Namibia is taken back to the island more people are venturing off the island to Namibia. We are beginning to see the start of such things as specialist Namibian meats finding their way to St Helenian shops.” He added that the line had recently carried its first 4 x 4 from Cape Town to Luderitz Bay, and had another booked from Cape Town to Walvis Bay, both with their owners as passengers planning to safari and coastal fish in Namibia.