Mombasa angles for fishing billions with launch of deep-sea vessel

Mombasa County has launched a deep-sea fishing vessel in part of its efforts to fence in billions of shillings worth of ocean resources being trawled away to advanced economies.

Under the initiative rolled out in partnership with the Kenya Commercial Bank Foundation, the county unveiled a 10-tonne fishing vessel christened MV Mombasa 001.

The vessel, launched under the county’s Vision 2035, costs Sh20 million. The first ever locally owned facility, which was initially christened MV Simba, is expected to increase fish harvest in the county to over 40,000 tonnes per month.

According to the foundation’s executive director Jane Mwangi, Kenya’s marine fisheries sector has remained artisanal and subsistence due to lack of large, filly equipped fishing vessels.

“The acquisition of this vessel is a game-changer for marine business. Investing in the sector is strategic to the economic growth and further investments along the fisheries value chain,” she said during the launch ceremony at the Old Town Port last week.

Flanked by the Governor, Hassan Joho, Ms Mwangi noted that local fishing communities only have access to small, non-motorised boats such as outriggers and dhows that could not go further than the reef or approximately five nautical miles.

Under the rules of the Exclusive Economic Zone, Kenya’s coastal fishermen are allowed to fish up to 200 nautical miles from the shorelines.

Fish production from the Indian Ocean has constantly remained low with studies indicating that there is immense potential for higher fish production.

This has left the country susceptible to an increased number of fish imports from China that grew from Sh259 million in 2013 to Sh1 billion in 2015.

The deep sea fishing vessel, according to Ms Mwangi, will help generate 10,000 jobs for the local youths along the coastal beach line.

She added that the interest shown by foreign fishing vessels in the country’s offshore waters indicate that there are large stock of pelagic species such as tuna and tuna-like species, signalling the need to expand fishing capacity in the EEZ.

It is estimated that Kenya’s marine fishery has the potential to produce 150,000 to 300,000 metric tonnes of fish annually but only 9,000 tonnes was produced in 2015 compared to Somalia which produced 132,000 tonnes the same year.

Mr Joho said the county was committed to working with the private sector to mobilise resources to help in scaling up economic activities in the county in order to create enabling environments for local entrepreneurs to thrive sustainably.

He said the county administration would provide extension services, give technical support to the local fishermen and support breeding, nutrition, market access and related services to ensure the success of the fish value chain.

At least 4,000 youths are expected to benefit directly or indirectly through the commissioning of the deep sea fishing vessel with a capacity of eight-member crew.