MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay, an official port of entry for, among others, crew changes to especially PetroSA and luxury liners that pay a visit to the bay, does not have an immigration officer to deliver immigration services.
For any immigration services to be rendered in all of the Southern Cape, an immigration officer has to travel by road from Cape Town, resulting in unnecessary delays.
Mossel Bay's municipal manager, Advocate Thys Giliomee, has in recent months engaged with both the provincial and other authorities to rectify this matter to have an immigration officer stationed in Mossel Bay.
There is no immigration office to allow foreign seafarers to sign on or sign off at Mossel Bay, despite the fact that the port of Mossel Bay is engaged in international trade and defined as a port in terms of the National Ports Act.
Not only are PetroSA prejudiced regarding their offshore operations as immigration formalities cannot be conducted in Mossel Bay, but seafarers employed on shuttle tankers and offshore supply vessels chartered by PetroSA face a similar fate.
Advocate Giliomee said the lack of an immigration officer in Mossel Bay impacted the local economy and commerce with specific reference to the hospitality, catering and travel industry as services could not be rendered to seafarers employed on foreign flag vessels calling at the port of Mossel Bay. This also affected revenue derived from luxury liners and the provision of launch services for tankers calling at Mossel Bay as non-South African passengers could not disembark in Mossel Bay if this was the first port of call in South Africa.
The municipal manager appealed to relevant authorities to review Mossel Bay's status as a port of entry in terms of the Immigration Act, and for issues relating to seafarers who use the port for embarkation to be addressed. He said it was imperative for a customs official to be stationed in Mossel Bay to perform immigration clearance duties for vessels from a foreign port, or destined for a foreign port.
The director: Red Tape Reduction in the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Raybin Windvogel, told the Mossel Bay Advertiser he was engaging with the municipal manager of George and the various business chambers in the region to ascertain the extent of services and businesses that may be affected by the current lack of immigration services.
He indicated that the Department of Home Affairs had indicated it was willing to meet with local stakeholders to discuss immigration services being made available in Mossel Bay.
"It is envisaged such a meeting will take place in Mossel Bay to allow all stakeholders such as PetroSA, the Mossel Bay Municipality and other local stakeholders to be represented," Windvogel said.
He invited companies and organisations affected by the lack of immigration services to relate their problems via email to redtapereduction@westerncape.gov.za
ARTICLE: NICKEY LE ROUX, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER NEWS EDITOR
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