TRANSHIPMENT

A response has been received from the European Commission indicating that St Helena Government's draft transhipment proposal cannot be scrutinised fully until such time as the Commission has put its guidelines pertaining to transhipment in place. SHG is pressing for an early date for the finalisation of the guidelines and this will be followed up by the SHG UK Representative when she attends a meeting with European Commission officials this week.

The Commission also indicated that further economic justifications relating to the proposed arrangements for transportation of the goods are required. St Helena Transhipment Services Ltd has been requested to assist in providing these.

Wharf Improvement Project

Dialogue is currently taking place with AIDCO ( the section of the European Commission in Brussels which deals with overseas aid) regarding the best strategy to ensure that at least some of the proposed components for wharf improvement are able to be speedily implemented. The likely cost of the total project is such that the balance of EDF8 funding is not sufficient and so some EDF9 funding will also be required. However, a single project spanning two tranches of funding will not be approved by the EDF committee until all remaining EDF8 funding has been formally 'rolled over' and amalgamated with that from EDF 9. As this process cannot start until after 1 April when EDF 9 comes into being, it is likely to be as long as a year before the amalgamation will be finalised. Consequently, the possibility of putting forward a separate bid for the cliff stabilisation element and associated equipment is being pursued. The cost of these components can be met from the EDF 8 balance and therefore should be able to be approved more quickly.

Renewable Energy/Wind Turbines

DFID is in the process of finalising contract details for a consultancy to carry out an independent evaluation of the performance of the three wind turbines and examine whether it is viable to get them back into operation. The consultants will also advise as to what sort of future investment in wind energy would be beneficial to St Helena. Development Assistance has been earmarked for a project to provide for such future investment once the recommendations have been received.

Drainage

The Draft Report of Mr Peter Wreford who visited St Helena in late 2002 to make recommendations regarding the island's sewerage systems (including the Jamestown outfall at West Rocks) has just been received. After consideration by the Public Works and Services Department, the Draft Report will be presented for formal approval by St Helena Government. Once any necessary amendments have been made, the final Report will form the basis for design of a project to make improvements to the existing system. A sum of £500,000 has been identified for this purpose from DFID, and the Draft Report indicates that this should prove ample to undertake all the recommended work.

Offshore Exploratory Fishing

DFID has approved the Concept and Logical Framework for the purchase and operation of a purpose-built deep sea fishing vessel to undertake exploratory fishing in order to establish whether St Helena's off-shore fish stocks are adequate to support a viable industry. The draft Project Memorandum is in the final stages of completion and should be presented for local endorsement in April. It is hoped that DFID will then give speedy approval in order that the vessel can start being built. Construction of the vessel is likely to take approximately six months.

Electricity Distribution

A Concept Note and Logical framework were submitted to DFID for approval for improvements to be made to the electricity distribution network. DFID suggested that perhaps more extensive work would prove beneficial and commissioned a desk study to examine the recommendations made by the Energy Division. The results of the desk study supported the recommendations made. However, the Energy Division independently identified further upgrading works that should be included within the project if it is to be enlarged and is currently costing these so that a revised Concept Note and Logical framework can be submitted shortly. When implemented, this project will assist in overcoming the problem of connecting additional consumers in areas in which the current system is inadequate to take further connections.

World Health Organisation Plan Of Action 2002/3

Two further activities have recently been approved by the World Health Organisation for full implementation. These are the purchase of medical equipment to enable surgeons to perform keyhole surgery on St Helena, and recruitment of a Nutritionist to provide training to Public Health and Social Services staff and promote public awareness of issues relating to nutrition. An experienced trainer has been selected and, subject to successfully passing the required clearances, he should arrive in St Helena in early June for a stay of approximately five months.