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St Helena Government (SHG) has taken a significant step towards strengthening its marine surveying capabilities thanks to borrowed equipment and two weeks of specialist training supported by the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO).

The training was led by Nicolay Larsen from Maritime Robotics, the company that built SHG’s Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), and Matt King, a hydrographic surveying expert working with the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO). Together, they gave practical, hands-on training on how to use the survey equipment and how to collect, process and manage the information gathered from marine surveys.

Staff from the Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Marine and Meteorological sections took part in the training. They were chosen because of their experience in surveying, knowledge of the marine environment, and the ways they could use hydrographic survey data in their work. Participants gained valuable skills through a combination of classroom learning and field-based exercises.

Hydrographic surveying plays a vital role in supporting safe navigation by providing accurate information on seabed characteristics, coastal features and underwater hazards. In addition, the data collected can support environmental monitoring, habitat mapping and a greater understanding of changes within St Helena’s marine environment over time.

The programme helps St Helena build its ability to map and understand local waters, making navigation safer for vessels. It will also improve access to important marine information and support activities such as harbour operations, marine conservation, and other work at sea around the island. These reflect the principles contained within the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), Chapter V, Regulation 9

The training was well received by all participants, who now have a solid foundation from which to begin using the equipment for operational surveys. SHG would also like to thank the Sea Rescue Service and Port Authority for their support during the training, which contributed significantly to its success.

SHG is grateful to UKHO for procuring and facilitating this specialist training opportunity. This investment in local knowledge and skills marks an important milestone in building sustainable hydrographic survey capacity on St Helena.

Devlin Yon, Head of Geomatic Services, said:

“This training represents a significant milestone in the development of hydrographic surveying capability on St Helena. By bringing together colleagues from across government and providing hands-on experience with modern survey technology, we are building the foundations for a sustainable, locally managed hydrographic programme. We are extremely grateful to UKHO, Maritime Robotics and all those involved in delivering and supporting the training. The skills gained will help improve our understanding of the marine environment and support safer navigation around St Helena’s waters.”

Maritime Robotics USV Otter being lowered into the water with Sea Rescue on standby for assistance.

Data collected by the USV in relation to Ruperts Jetty schematics.

Photo with the GIS Staff, Left to Right – Ryan Benjamin, Jamie Phillips, Devlin Yon, Matt King (Hydrographic Surveyor), Joelle Henry and Luke Bargo.

#StHelena #UKHydrographicOffice #UKHO #HydrographicSurveying #MarineSurveying

This year’s Red Ensign Group (REG) maritime conference took place in Bermuda, of which representatives from St Helena had the opportunity to attend.   In attendance was Mia Henry (Head of Maritime), Wendy Benjamin (Maritime Capacity Building Support Officer) and Samantha Cherrett (Governor’s Office).

The conference programme comprised different forums and followed an agenda covering various topics relevant to St Helena’s maritime status, and our Flag, Port and Coastal State obligations. Topics this year also included hydrographic surveys, cyber threats and current global geopolitics.

Presentations on the International Maritime Organisations Instruments Implementation Code (III Code) audit was of particular interest whereby other REG members shared their experiences and the nature of their audit findings, which were not too dissimilar to St Helena’s experience.  It was shown that there are some common themes and that even the bigger territories with more resources than St Helena, have the same challenges. St Helena underwent the III Code audit back in February 2025 and is actively addressing the findings.

The South Atlantic Working Group (SAWG) once again came together to discuss in detail the more bespoke challenges faced in our part of the world and included mass rescue operations, fishing vessels, cruise ship operations and contingency plans in response to the recent hantavirus situation.  The SAWG comprises Ascension, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena and has proven very beneficial and worthwhile for sharing of information, challenges and support to progressing our maritime administrations.

Most notable was the discussions and presentations referencing lack of capacity, across all the Overseas Territories and the gain of transferable skills from careers in maritime. Wendy Benjamin delivered a presentation within the capacity building forum, outlining what St Helena is doing to tackle this issue and what we hope to achieve in way of promoting maritime, facilitating training through our maritime training centre and creating career paths for young people.

Having these discussions and making connections with other Overseas Territories and maritime organisations across the REG are vital for gaining the much-needed support that will enable us to progress our maritime agenda and improve adherence to international maritime laws.

Note to Editors

The Red Ensign Group (REG) is a collaboration of British Shipping Registers consisting of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey, and Jersey), and nine British Overseas Territories, including St Helena.

As a member of the REG, St Helena operates its own shipping register under the oversight of the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This ensures that all St Helena-flagged vessels adhere to high international maritime standards of safety, security, and environmental pollution prevention, while benefitting from the global prestige, support, and protection of the British merchant fleet.

#StHelena #RedEsignGroup #REGConference #Maritime #MaritimeSafety

MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping (MACS), in partnership with the St Helena Government (SHG), has announced a temporary adjustment to the St Helena shipping service, with 10 sailings scheduled for 2026 instead of the originally planned 12.

The change follows discussions with the St Helena Chamber of Commerce and cargo receivers and comes in response to exceptional increases in global marine fuel costs.  The ongoing Middle East conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted fuel supplies and significantly increased global bunker (marine fuel) prices, creating substantial operational cost pressures across the shipping industry.

MACS and SHG recognise the vital role that shipping plays in supporting the island’s residents, businesses and supply chains.  Both organisations remain committed to maintaining reliable cargo services and ensuring the continued availability of essential goods and supplies.

A detailed sailing schedule will be circulated to all stakeholders as soon as it is finalised.  MACS will continue to work closely with SHG, importers, businesses and cargo receivers to minimise disruption and maintain continuity of supply during this period.

Commenting on the decision, MACS and SHG emphasised that the adjustment is a proactive and responsible response to extraordinary market conditions and is intended to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the service for the benefit of St Helena.

 MACS and SHG thank all cargo receivers, businesses and stakeholders for their understanding, cooperation and ongoing support as this temporary cost-mitigation measure is implemented.

#StHelena #MACS #ShippingSchedule

The St Helena Customs and Immigration Office wishes to remind the public of the official procedures and new support options available for passport applications.

When applying for a British passport, all requirements are strictly set by His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO).

Please note that ensuring your passport application is completed correctly, signed, and accompanied by all necessary supporting documentation remains the sole responsibility of you the applicant.

New Assistance Locations Available

To help ensure your paperwork is accurate, the Immigration and Customs Office is pleased to advise that application assistance for both British and BOTC (St Helenian) passports is now available at the following locations:

Book an Appointment: Assistance will be available Mondays to Wednesdays from 9.30am to 1pm and is by appointment only. Please call the Public Library on 22580, or the SHCC and CASH Office on  22607 to make a booking.

Application Submission and Fees

The Immigration and Customs Office at Ruperts remains open to receive both types of applications.

Office Hours and Contact Details

To schedule an appointment at the main offices at Ruperts, please call 22287.

OfficeDayHours & Access Type
Immigration OfficeMondays and Fridays   Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays09:00 – 15:00 (Drop-ins welcome)   By Appointment Only
Customs OfficeMondays to Fridays09:00 – 15:00 (Standard Hours)

#StHelena #PassportApplications #CustomsandImmigration

The St Helena Government is pleased to announce the official opening of the new playgrounds at Half Tree Hollow (HTH) and Longwood Green. A formal opening ceremony will be held at 13:30 tomorrow, Wednesday 8 July 2026, at the Half Tree Hollow playground.

Important Parking and Traffic Information

Due to single-lane access to the HTH playground and strictly limited parking on-site, members of the public and attendees are kindly requested to use the Half Tree Hollow Community Centre car park.

Parking spaces directly at the playground must be kept clear and are strictly reserved for HE the Governor and official vehicles. We appreciate the cooperation of all motorists and attendees in keeping traffic flowing smoothly.

SHG would like to extend its sincere thanks to the HTH Community Centre for their support, as well as the various portfolios, public donors, and overseas organisations whose generous contributions made this project possible, including funding by the FCDO through the UK Government.

All are welcome to join us in celebrating the opening of these fantastic new community spaces.

St Helena Government (SHG) wishes to inform the public that a small number of non-urgent operations at Jamestown Hospital have been postponed over the past two weeks due to an unexpected technical issue affecting essential theatre equipment.

SHG would like to reassure the community that emergency and urgent surgery will continue to be provided safely.

The postponements are the result of technical faults affecting the Hospital’s anaesthetic machines. Despite extensive efforts by local staff working remotely with the manufacturer, the faults cannot be resolved on island. The Hospital can still provide safe anaesthesia using alternative equipment, but this is a more complex and time-consuming process and is therefore being reserved for essential and urgent procedures.

As a result, non-urgent surgery will continue to be postponed until replacement anaesthetic machines arrive on the island. These machines have already been purchased and are expected to arrive on the next scheduled visit of the MV Karoline, due on 24 July. Unfortunately, these specialist items cannot be transported by air.

Throughout this period, the Hospital will continue to provide safe, emergency, and urgent surgical care.

SHG would like to thank those patients whose procedures have been postponed for their understanding and patience while we work to restore normal services.

#StHelena #Hospital #AnaestheticMachines

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Please be advised that the Central Support Service, will be closed on Friday 10 July to allow staff to attend their Away Day.

These office closures will include the Legislative Council staff office, the Archives and Communications Hub. For any emergency press matters please call the Castle switchboard 22470

The Castle Switchboard will continue to be staffed until 16:00.

Normal business will resume on Monday, 13 July 2026 at 08:30.

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The Governor’s Office wishes to inform members of the public that, due to a technical fault with the biometrics enrolment system, they are currently unable to process biometric enrolments for UK visa and British registration applications.

Technical support has been sought to resolve the issue and restore full service as soon as possible. The Governor’s Office sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused and appreciates customers’ patience during this time.

An update will be provided as soon as the system becomes operational again.

A meeting of Executive Council (ExCo) was held on 01July 2026.

The agenda for the meeting was as follows:

CLOSED AGENDA  
1. Declaration of Interest  
2. St Helena Hotel Development Ltd’s Loan of £1 Million and SHG Guarantee (ExCo Memo 25/2026)  
3. Appropriation Bill, 2026 St Helena Government Budget for the Financial Year 2026 – 2031 (ExCo Memo 26/2026)  
4. Banking Strategy Update (ExCo Memo 27/2026)  
5. Any Other Business  
NB Items marked (*) are commercially sensitive and depending on the subject matter, might not be referred to in the top lines.

The following items were considered:

  1. There were no Declarations of Interest.

2. St Helena Hotel Development Ltd’s Loan of £1 Million and SHG Guarantee (ExCo Memo 25/2026)

Executive Council was asked to consider and advise, in relation to the St Helena Hotel Development Ltd’s (SHHDL) £1 million loan with the Bank of St Helena Ltd (BoSH), whether:

a) The St Helena Government (SHG) Guarantee on the loan should be extended, and if so, a Variation to the Guarantee should be taken forward as Government business at the next formal Legislative Council meeting; or

b) SHG repays the £1 million loan on behalf of SHHDL from the Consolidated Fund in full negating the need for a Government Guarantee; or

c) SHG repays part of the £1 million loan on behalf of SHHDL and seeks an extension to the existing Guarantee for the remaining amount and presents this Variation to the Guarantee as Government business at the next formal Legislative Council meeting.

Members and two Directors from the SHHDL Board discussed the options noting the following pertinent points:

Executive Council accepted and approved option a) as the more prudent course of action, in light of the current uncertainties surrounding Conditionality. In doing so, Council noted that options b) and c) remained available for future consideration, subject to the completion of the relevant workstreams and budget outcomes.

It was further noted that SHHDL would be discussed with Elected Members during the Ministers’ update session scheduled for 2 July.

3. Appropriation Bill, 2026 St Helena Government Budget for the Financial Year 2026 – 2031 (ExCo Memo 26/2026)

Executive Council was asked to advise whether the Appropriation Bill, 2026, should be printed, published and presented as Government business at the Legislative Council meeting to be held on 17 July 2026.

Members noted the background and development of the Bill under the following key headings:

Executive Council accepted and recommended that the Appropriation Bill, 2026 be presented at Legislative Council on 17 July 2026.  The Bill and accompanying Pink Book will be published in accordance with the stated timelines.

Ministers expressed their sincere appreciation to members of the Public Service for the support shown to the new Ministerial team during the preparation of the Budget process.

4. Banking Strategy Update (ExCo Memo 27/2026)

Executive Council was asked to consider and advise whether:

a) the proposed strategy to secure appropriate commercial banking services to support the Company Registry Transformation (“CRT”) under the Financial Services and Company Registry Development (“FSCRD”) Programme should be approved; and

b) the process currently being undertaken which is exploring the feasibility of SHG selling its shareholding in Bank of St Helena (“BoSH”) should be paused, while at the same time mandating improvements in BoSH service offering including international debit cards, more competitive money transfer fees and access to a wider range of financial services products.

Discussion focused on the key considerations including:

Executive Council noted that any future consideration of BoSH ownership must be carefully assessed against the island’s long-term economic interests, service needs and financial resilience.  

Executive Council approved the proposed strategy to secure appropriate commercial banking services. The approach would be to seek to secure overseas banks that would be willing to accept St Helena companies as a class of clients. The overseas banks do not need to set up a local licensed presence on St Helena.

Executive Council further agreed to pause exploring the feasibility of SHG selling its shareholding in the BoSH. This decision gives BoSH clear direction to pursue their current programme of modernisation to improve and expand their local service provision.

5. Any Other Business

#StHelena #ExCo #Toplines

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A meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will take place on Wednesday 15 July 2026 from 12:30 to 14:00. This meeting will be held at the Corporate Services Conference Room in The Castle, Jamestown.

The agenda will include a Police and Crime Panel report from the Temporary Director of Police and a question and answer (QA) section from the panel. A report summary will be made available to the public the day before the meeting via the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/police-service/.

The panel consists of the following members:

We welcome attendance and input from all community members and stakeholders.

For more information, please contact the Temporary Director of Police, Julian Pezzani, by telephone on (+290) 22626 or by email through julian.pezzani@sainthelena.gov.sh.

You can also view the Police and Crime Plan online at St-Helena-Police-Service-Police-and-Crime-Plan-v1.1.pdf.

The meeting will be live streamed via the SHG YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@sthelenagovernment1638. A recording of the meeting will be uploaded following the meeting.

The Corporate Services Conference Room is on the top floor of the Castle. Alternative arrangements are being offered for anyone who is unable to access the room, please contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 22133 or email mary@humanrightssthelena.org.

Following each meeting printed versions of the Police and Crime Panel report will also be made available at the Customer Service Centre and Public Library. Previous reports are now available to view at these locations.

#StHelena #RSHP #PoliceandCrimePanel

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