Six purse-seine and trawler fishing vessels have been built since 2017 at the Lobito Velho shipyard, in Angola’s Benguela province, as part of the relaunch of the shipbuilding industry in the country, said the managing partner of Plano Inclinado e Estaleiro Lda. – Sopesul.

António Vieira, quoted by Angolan state news agency Angop, said that the wooden ships built at the shipyard’s premises, which were reactivated in May 2017 in the neighbourhood of Lobito Velho, were the result of a partnership between Angolan and Chinese businesspeople.

The managing partner added that of the six vessels only two purse-seine vessels are already operating in the country’s waters, while the four trawlers are still in the yard, as they have yet to be granted a license by the Ministry of Fisheries and the Sea.

As well as the lack of licenses, Vieira pointed to other difficulties, such as the acquisition of wood to build the vessels, access to bank loans and a lack of quality nails on the market, which require “parts to be imported from China.”

Reactivated in May 2017, the Lobito Velho shipyard has an inclined plane for the construction of trawlers up to 26 metres in length, with capacity for 40 tonnes of fish and a crew of 30 people.

The project employs nine Chinese technicians and 50 Angolans to build the fishing vessels. (Macauhub)