Multi-purpose watercraft to improve Federation’s fishing industry
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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(Left to Right) H.E. Ambassador Rong-chuan Wu, Hon. Cedric Liburd, Joe Simmonds and David Ridsdale-Saw
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts- STAKEHOLDERS in the fishing industry were on hand yesterday (July 22) at Indigo Yachts at the P. A. Southwell Industrial Site to observe the ongoing construction of a forty-foot multi-purpose watercraft funded by the Republic of China Taiwan.
David Ridsdale-Saw, Managing Director and Engineer for Indigo Yachts said that the boat is designed to expand the depth and breadth of fishing in the Federation.
The state-of-the-art boat would feature three large holds built from materials similar to those used in the aircraft industry, resting facilities, a kitchenette and an extra durable fiberglass hull.
“Construction began on the vessel about seven weeks ago and we usually have around five employees working on it at any given time. At this time we are about one-third of the way done, on schedule for our November completion date and under budget,” he said.
He also noted that the boat was being built upside-down to ensure its bulkheads were perfectly square, causing him to joke that he wasn’t “quite sure yet as to how we are going to turn it over when the time comes”.
Hon. Cedric Liburd, Minister of Lands and Housing, Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives said that the idea for the vessel began in November of 2007 when he and the Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, traveled to Taiwan for discussions on how fishing and agriculture could be improved in the Federation. 
“It was at that meeting that we decided to build two new boats here in St. Kitts…which would be an upgrade of the fishing industry for our own people and the tourism industry,” the Fisheries minister said.
Liburd said that after the former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian approved the venture, US $230,000 was given as funding for the project and Indigo Yachts won the job bid with a just shy US $229,000.
Aside from being a large capacity fishing vessel, the boat will be equipped with a wide variety of tools and features so that it may be used as a training facility the first three months after being completed.
“In the past we have had to send some of our fishermen abroad to places like Trinidad & Tobago to receive training in areas such as safety and boat technologies. With the completion of this boat we will now be able to do some of that training at home, so our fishermen will be more flexible and able to fish throughout different times of the year,” said Joe Simmonds, Director of Fisheries.
On the issue of the donated funds, the Taiwanese Ambassador, His Excellency Rong-chuan Wu said that as Taiwan has the sixth largest fishing industry in the world his government was “happy to add to fishing in St. Kitts-Nevis” and hoped “the fisherman will utilize the training being offered and gain new skills necessary for enhancing the industry”.
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