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Seychelles-Mauritius get rid of French ocean surveyor over poor results

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Seychelles-Mauritius get rid of French ocean surveyor over poor results

Seychelles and Mauritius have agreed to appoint a new multi-national company to survey its jointly managed Mascarene plateau area after the contract of the previous company was discontinued.

The decision was announced prior to the 22nd meeting of the Mauritius-Seychelles Joint Commission of the Extended Continental Shelf in the Mascarene in Victoria, Seychelles News Agency reported.

Mauritian Ambassador Jagdish Koonjul was cited as saying that the decision was taken as the original company “has been unable to provide us with the service we required.”

He added that the joint commission was also “having difficulties finding companies to carry out scientific research work in the region, and the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in delaying the work.”

The Joint Management Area (JMA) is the mechanism of joint jurisdiction between Seychelles and Mauritius over an area of the seabed and its underlying sub-soil in the Mascarene Plateau Region. It excludes the water and living organisms above the shelf.

The JMA was set up after a treaty was signed in 2012 through which the two island nations secured rights to additional seabed covering over 400,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean.

The company previously selected was La Compagnie Générale de Géophysique (CGG) based and registered in France with branches in the UK and South Africa.

The project will be financed by the UNDP and there will be Seychellois scientists taking part in it.

The exercise also intends to find the level of hydrocarbons in the JMA, look into the possibility of farming sea cucumber and how to patrol the zones better and prevent illegal fishing.

Original article the Seychelles News Agency

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The information and opinions expressed in our published works are those of authors/sources believed to be reliable. NewsMoris makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information expressed.