The nation’s quest for foreign direct investment received a major boost at the weekend with the unveiling of the biggest fishing vessels in the country by Atlantic Shrimpers Limited (ASL).
The fishing company which is the largest in the sub-region unveiled its newly acquired state of the art trawlers as part of a multibillion investment in its growing trawler fleet.
The unveiling of the two vessels, “Seven Stars I” and “Seven Stars II”, forms part of what has been the largest investment in terms of fisheries in the West African sub region in the last 28 years, demonstrating both ASL and its shareholders’ recognition that material investment is essential in this complex, vertically integrated industry. It also reflects the company’s confidence and belief in the Nigerian fishing industry, internationally recognised as one of the best managed and sustainable fisheries in the world.
According to the Managing Director ASL, Kamlesh Kabra, consistency, both in terms of quantity and quality, remains the driving force for the expansion of ASL fleet and also the intrinsic value of the Prim7Stars brand.
“Prim7Stars is a seafood brand known for a high quality range of wild caught products. Approximately 3.500 metric tons of tropical shrimps are caught annually and distributed worldwide. This is why we as a company are proud of the investment in the new trawlers which are set to improve various aspects of our business, including consistency in the quality of our produce, personnel safety and overall efficiency,” Kamlesh said.
While unveiling the state of the art trawlers, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri commended the company on the remarkable feat and considerable investment in Nigeria.
According to him, the investment in the new vessels will not only support existing jobs, replace aging vessels and processing technology but will also usher in new opportunities.
“Our ultimate goal is to attain self-sufficiency in fish and aquaculture production and the ministry is striving to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and fill in the missing gap as the ministry has placed fisheries and aquaculture top among its value chains development programme.
“It is a privilege to commission these magnificent new trawlers that ASL has acquired. ASL has consistently displayed an unwavering commitment to delivering the absolute best to the Nigerian market and beyond, while being environmentally responsible in the process,” he stressed.
In his remark, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Olusegun Awolowo appreciates ASL in contributing towards the success of zero oil economy in Nigeria.