A Marine Services Expert Praises Berbera Port

Hargeysa, Somaliland , November 5, 2005 (SL Times) – Mr. Peter Astbury, an international marine expert, praised the services provided by Berbera port. Mr. Astbury was in Berbera during the last parliamentary elections to facilitate the a substantial sea water damage to a cargo of bagged sugar carried by a ship called M/V/Royal.

Mr. Astbury was sent by the P&I club, an international company for indemnities, to negotiate a settlement between the ship in question and receivers of the cargo.

After his return to London , he wrote letters to P&I, Lloyds and Ethiopian Shipping Lines, describing what he saw at the Somaliland port.

Mr. Astbury commended the discipline prevailing inside the port and in particular the absence of any theft or pilferage on the part of stevedores or other dock workers. He was also struck by the local practice of not claiming against the ship for damages to bagged cargo caused by stevedore handling.

"Berbera port is Somaliland 's principal source of hard currency and it has a huge potential as a historical gateway to the east African hinterland. It therefore has every incentive to continue to prove, day by day, that it is a safe port for ship owners in every sense of the word." He said.

The international maritime consultant also commented on the political environment existing in Somaliland during his visit to Berbera.

"During my stay in Berbera, peaceful and successful parliamentary elections were held which seem likely to result, among other things, in official recognition for Somaliland 's independence."

According to Mr. Astbury, the fact that ship owners can expect fair treatment in the port of Berbera is something that should be communicated as widely as possible. He wrote to the Lloyds War Risk Committee in London – the committee that decides which countries should be regarded as war risk areas by the London Lloyds insurance market.

"At the moment Lloyds makes no distinction between Somalia – which is designated war risk area requiring considerable additional insurance premiums for ship owners who send their ships there – and Somaliland ."

Astbury agrees that persuading the Lloyds market that Somaliland should be treated differently would be a major gain.

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