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St Helena Line has announced today, Thursday 5 October 2017, that it is to withdraw the Passenger Cargo Royal Mail Ship St Helena from service in February 2018 and has appointed London ship broker CW Kellock & Co Ltd to handle her sale.

Operated by St Helena Line Ltd (SHL) on behalf of the St Helena Government (SHG), the RMS has been part of the Island’s history for over quarter of a century and provided the sole regular means of access to the Island, a remote UK Overseas Territory located 1200 miles off the West coast of Africa in the South Atlantic.

She was built in the UK in 1990 specifically for the St Helena route. At 6,767 gross tonnes, she can accommodate 156 passengers in 56 cabins, together with a cargo capacity of 3750 cbm bale, and 92 teu (of which 17 reefer). She is staffed by 56 officers and crew.

The RMS St Helena is one of only four ships left in the world which has the right to carry the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix.

The RMS currently operates out of Cape Town calling at both St Helena and Ascension Island on a regular schedule.

With the start of scheduled passenger flights to St Helena on 14 October 2017 providing the main passenger access to the Island, the RMS St Helena will be withdrawn from service.

The RMS St Helena is now embarked on her final programmed voyages and in the coming weeks will make a farewell call to Tristan da Cunha and then a final voyage to both St Helena and Ascension Island. She is expected to finish her last voyage in Cape Town on 15 February 2018.

SHL has appointed the highly experienced London ship brokers CW Kellock & Co Ltd (Part of the Eggar Forrester Group), to handle the sale and it is hoped that a buyer can be found to continue to trade the vessel elsewhere in the world.

Commenting on the sale process and her withdrawal from service, SHL’s Chairman, Matt Young, said:

“The RMS St Helena has played a vital role in sustaining St Helena’s population and, for the past 27 years has been the sole means of regular access to the Island.

“Her combined passenger accommodation and cargo design makes her well suited to a number of different trading options and we are confident that she can continue to play an important role elsewhere in the world.”

Further details on the RMS St Helena can be found on: www.rms-st-helena.com

Prospective purchasers should contact:

CW Kellock & Co Ltd: Paul Willcox

Tel +44 0207 4481395

Email: Kellock@eggarforrester.com

 

Media Contact:

Simon Quarendon, Keene Communications

Email: simon@keenecomms.com

Tel: 00 44 (0)207 839 2140 (O) 00 44 (007850 618418 (M)

 

Note to editors:

A high resolution photograph of the RMS St Helena is available on request.

Further details about the RMS St Helena:

UK flag

Built 1990 A&P Appledore, UK.

3130 dwt on 6.016m draft.

105m loa, 19.2m beam.

Class: Lloyds Register.

6,767 gross tonnes.

Accommodation: 156 passengers in 56 cabins, 56 officers and crew.

Dining salon. Lounge. Sun lounge. Swimming pool. Gymnasium. Stabilisers. Air conditioning.

Cargo capacity 3750 cbm bale. 92 teu (of which 17 reefer).

2 holds, 2 hatches. Cranes 2/30  Derricks 2/10.

Main engines: 2 x Mirrlees KMR6MK3. 8880BHP.

Service speed 14knts IFO180- 19MT per day MDO 2MT per day

 

The vessel is currently in service and can be inspected in Cape Town, South Africa, where she is scheduled to call on 17th to 21st Oct, 8th to 11th Nov, 29th Nov to 1st Dec, 27th to 29th Dec and 22nd to 24th Jan 2018. The vessel is expected to be ready for delivery to buyers in Cape Town at the end of Feb 2018.

St Helena Line Ltd

5 October 2017

Later this month, St Helena will begin an exciting new chapter with the start of the weekly air service from South Africa.  This will make it cheaper, quicker and easier to travel to and from St Helena, and will help ensure the Island’s long term prosperity.

The new air service will allow the decommissioning of the Royal Mail Ship St Helena, in February 2018, after many years of service.

The final schedules for the RMS are now available online at: http://rms-st-helena.com/schedules-fares/.

Passengers travelling to Ascension Island on RMS Voyage 267 (29 December 17 to 22 January 18) should note that the previously published shuttle to Ascension on 7 January has been cancelled to accommodate a final voyage to Tristan da Cunha. However the 14 January shuttle to Ascension planned for the same voyage remains, and passengers can re-book onto that service at no additional cost, subject to ticket availability.  Re-booking requests can be made by contacting your booking agent.

Alternatively, passengers may wish to cancel their RMS booking (at no cost) in order to travel to Ascension on the 13 January Ascension Air Service, subject to ticket availability.  RMS cancellation requests can be made by contacting your booking agent.  Booking enquiries for the Ascension Air Service can be made by contacting flight.bookings@ascension.gov.ac or tel: +247 66500. Bookings can also be made online on the Ascension Island Government website:  http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/ under the ‘Visiting the Island’ tab.

Please note that as this is a Christmas service, high ticket demand is expected and confirmation of bookings will not be made until at least eight weeks prior to the flight.

Passengers should also note that a four day extension has been added to the final Voyage (v268) of the RMS. Passengers can also change or cancel at no additional cost.

 #StHelena #RMSStHelena

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SHG

5 October 2017

The unveiling of the mammography machine by Governor Lisa Phillips took place this morning, Wednesday, 4 October 2017, in front of Government officials and invited guests at the General Hospital.

The new mammography machine means the Hospital can now offer follow-up mammograms (x-ray of the breast) to those recovering from Breast Cancer, and can offer mammography to those with a clinical need (extensive family history or symptoms) and can also start a Breast Screening Service for women without symptoms who are aged 50-70.

Breast Screening is to detect very early changes in breast tissue (before symptoms appear). Evidence has shown that it is most effective for women between the ages of 50-70. A mammogram is taken every three years for those within this age bracket.

The Breast Screening Service began today and the first patient of the programme said:

“I was very nervous and unsure what to expect as I had been told it is very painful and that your breasts are squeezed to the limit. Having had it done, I can say that the machine is very sensitive and senses when the breast is squeezed enough. It wasn’t painful and I would advise everyone just to go for it.”

The screening programme is different to clinical investigations. If someone has a concern or experience symptoms (pain, discharge, nipple changes, lumps etc.) regardless of age, they need to come and see a doctor as soon as possible, who will refer them for an investigative mammogram if required.

Special thanks go out to the League of Friends and the Cancer Awareness Society, who raised a huge amount of money towards the machine and made the service a possibility.

Five photos are attached to this release.

#StHelena #GeneralHospital #MammographyMachine #BreastScreeningService #CancerAwareness

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SHG
4 October 2017

Animal owners have raised concerns regarding their ability to continue Home Slaughtering. Concerns raised are mainly focused around planning requirements and being able to adequately dispose of waste.

In light of these concerns, the following has been agreed:

Those persons who wish to continue Home Slaughtering are given up to 31 March 2018 to have their facilities up and running to a satisfactory standard as approved by the Health Protection Board.

#StHelena #HomeSlaughtering

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SHG
4 October 2017

International Older Persons Day was celebrated on Sunday, 1 October 2017. On St Helena, invited guests were able to celebrate a day of activities with residents of Deason’s Centre, Cape Villa and the Princess Royal Community Care Centre.

The United Nations theme for 2017 is ‘Stepping into the Future:Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in Society’.

Director of Safeguarding, Matt Ansell, said:

“This year’s theme is about enabling and expanding the contributions of older people in their families, communities and societies at large. As we continue our work, the directorate will be focusing on the pathways that support full and effective participation in old age, in accordance with older persons’ basic rights, needs and preferences.”

The day started with lunch and dessert at 12 noon followed by bingo.  At 3pm, invited guests arrived and Matt gave a short welcome speech.  A high tea was then served followed by demonstrations of old time dances, music for dancing, line dancing and a few party games.  A great time was had by all and laughter echoed the building throughout the afternoon. 

Special thanks are extended to Sylvia Jonas who organised the day’s activities and was the driving force in making the day a huge success.  Thanks are also extended to the following people:

Finally, a  huge ‘thank you’ to Brian Ellick and his team for the lovely two course meal and other scrumptious snacks, the Nursing Care Staff, Activity Workers and everyone else who gave up their time to help on the day.  This was a great example of successful teamwork.

#StHelena #InternationalOlderPersonsDay

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SHG

4 October 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Council met today with eight items on the Open Agenda.

This was the first meeting since the decision was taken to publish papers and agendas for Executive Council Meetings and Members were pleased to note that there had been positive feedback from members of the public regarding this move.

Members first of all considered a proposal to enact Regulations relating to Mental Health and Mental Capacity which allows for someone, who may in the future lose their mental capacity, to give Lasting Power of Attorney to an individual with capacity to make decisions on their behalf when they are no longer able to do so. Members were happy to support this proposal seeing it as an important safeguard for vulnerable individuals.

The next item related to a proposal to amend the Port Health Ordinance and associated Regulations to provide legal authority to a Health Officer to inspect aircraft and make measures to control the spread of infection or contamination. Executive Council gave approval for the drafting of the legislation to go ahead.

There were two items relating to amending the Welfare of Children Ordinance. The first clarifies the circumstances under which children may be employed and defines concepts including hazardous work, illicit work, light work and work experience. The second item related to Cruelty to Children and proposed a widening of the definition of ill-treatment of children to include forms other than physical abuse such as mental and emotional abuse. In both cases, Members welcomed the enhanced safeguarding measures which the proposed amendments provide for and recommended that the amended Bills should be published in advance of their presentation at the December Legislative Council Session.

Members then went on to discuss whether there should be a legislation proposal to replace the jury system with a different system and proposed a number of options for further consideration. It was noted that there was an increase in the requirement for trials by jury, and in the last three sittings of the Supreme Court, there were eight jury trials and only one of these resulted in a conviction. The options for consideration include: extending the pool of jurors by making it compulsory to register on the electoral roll, moving to trial by judge alone, or judge and two lay Magistrates, increasing the Magistrate’s powers for certain offences, or adopting and adapting the Jurat system as used in some jurisdictions. There was robust debate and Members felt that the jury system is a civic responsibility and should remain. It was agreed that options should be explored to consider how the pool of jurors could be expanded including compulsory registration and there should be awareness raised about civic responsibility.

The next item to be discussed was the Domestic Abuse Bill 2017.  It was noted that the Bill is a preventative measure which proposes civil options for families suffering from domestic abuse and who might be reluctant or unwilling to pursue criminal action against abusers. It allows for a case to be put to a Magistrate for a protection order to safeguard vulnerable families and will provide for relevant safeguards to be implemented. Members wholeheartedly supported the Bill ahead of its presentation at the December Legislative Council Session.

Members were then asked to endorse proposed sites for a new prison to be located in the Bottom Woods vicinity. Three sites have been identified, however an initial environmental assessment has deemed one of them to be unviable because it is within the Millennium Forest Nature Reserve. Members decided to give approval for two sites, one of which is West of the Meteorological Station, and the other known as the Goat Pen Area, to undergo further investigation regarding their suitability and to then be taken out to public consultation.

The final item on the Open Agenda related to amendments to the Social Security Regulations to address concerns and protect vulnerable individuals where the Social Security System provided for under the current Ordinance is unable to alleviate hardship. The amendment would allow for emergency provision to assist individuals. Members welcomed the interim measure but were mindful that issues relating to Household Status still remained and recognised that these would be addressed by the wider Benefits Review which is taking place.

On the Closed Agenda, Members were asked to consider and approve an increase in Passport Fees with a view to recovering the cost of administration relating to the issue of British Overseas Territory Passports and Emergency Passports. It was noted that the current costs are aligned to local administration, however going forward, these Passports will be produced in the UK and will attract higher costs. Members approved the recommendation.

Members were also pleased to learn that the RMS will be continuing to operate until February 2018 and that the forward schedule will include a final trip to Tristan da Cunha.

The meeting ended at 1.45pm.

ExCo

3 October 2017

 

 

CHANGE TO SECURE DATA DISPOSAL SERVICE

The public is advised that due to changes in use of plant equipment at Horse Point Landfill Site (HPLS), Waste Management Services (WMS) can no longer, as part of their Secure Data Disposal Service, offer commercial shredding of sensitive waste prior to deep disposal.

This change will result in a reduction in cost to deliver the service and therefore with immediate effect, the cost of Secure Data Disposal is reduced by 50% – from £10 to £5 per standard refuse bag. Charges for legal compliance and out of hours operations remain unchanged.

This reduction in cost makes the Secure Data Disposal Service more cost beneficial to businesses who want to ensure that all confidential material held on media – including paper, card, USBs, CDs and DVDs – is disposed of in a secure and non-retrievable manner.

Bookings to use the service can be made with Environmental Risk Manager, Mike Durnford, via e-mail: mike-durnford@enrd.gov.sh. Operations will be managed at HPLS by Landfill Manager, Patrick Crowie.

The Secure Data Disposal Service at the Horse Point Landfill Site was introduced in December 2016.

#StHelena #WasteManagementServices #SecureDataDisposal #ReducedCost

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SHG
3 October 2017

St Helena will celebrate its third annual Teacher Appreciation Day on Thursday, 5 October 2017. The purpose of this special day is to show appreciation to members of the teaching profession, past and present, and to recognise the value of education to the entire community.

On this day, the Education & Employment Directorate and Education Committee are encouraging all parents and students to take the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to our teachers. We should also remember all other education staff members who provide vital support to our schools and our students.

Despite many challenges, the 2016/17 school year was very successful and the new school year promises to be even better. Good results in schools depend on the hard work and commitment of our teaching profession.

Teacher Appreciation Day also helps to raise the profile of teaching as a professional and rewarding career.

Director of Education & Employment, Shirley Wahler, said:

“The future of St Helena depends on its young people and, to a great extent, the future of our young people lie in the hands of our teachers. There is a saying that ‘Teaching is the profession that makes possible all the other professions’. This is a wonderful opportunity to thank our teachers for the tremendous contribution that they make to this community. I cannot say enough about the dedication and commitment of our teachers – they are a great asset to the Island.”

The Education Committee and the Education & Employment Directorate would like to offer their thanks and best wishes to all of St Helena’s teaching staff and to all those who work to support our schools.

#StHelena #Education #TeacherAppreciationDay #SayThankYou

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SHG
3 October 2017

The St Helena Community College (SHCC) will hold the 2017 Careers Fair in the main hall of Prince Andrew School on Wednesday, 18 October 2017, from 10am-4pm, reopening from 6pm-8pm.

The Careers Fair is a biennial event that aims to provide a host of information ‘under one roof’ on careers, to deliver guidance in career choice and progression, and to inspire people to learn and encourage personal development.

SHCC Workforce Development Coordinator, Cynthy Bennett, said:

“Careers and career guidance is a major part of everyone’s life – young and old. The Careers Fair is an opportunity for everyone to be able to access information and get an insight into the wide range of career choices available on-Island. It could make a difference to your life and help you to make a difference to others.”

So far, 25 employment organisations have agreed to take part in this year’s Career’s Fair.

For more information, you can contact tel: 22607 or email: shcc@sainthelena.gov.sh

A Careers Fair poster is attached to this release.

#StHelena #StHelenaCommunityCollege #CareersFair

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SHG
3 October 2017

OVERSEAS LIST

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office invites nominations for the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Persons wishing to submit nominations for the 2018 Birthday Honours are reminded that the overriding principle is that honours are awarded on merit for exceptional achievement or any service recently carried out over and above what normally is expected. Where possible, nominations should place emphasis on voluntary services.

It should also be noted that age is not a factor in awarding honours and younger members of the community who have made an outstanding contribution or have given exceptional service, should not be overlooked.  It is important that nominations are kept confidential and that nominees are not made aware that they are being proposed for award of an Honour.

Nomination forms are available from Corporate Services at the Castle and can also be requested by e-mail from Mrs Carol George, via: carol.george@sainthelena.gov.sh

Completed forms should be returned to the Executive Secretary, Honours Committee, in a sealed envelope, marked ‘Confidential’, by Friday, 3 November 2017.

#StHelena #BirthdayHonours #FCO #NominationsInvited

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SHG
3 October 2017