70 



AFRICA 



South Africa 



REDUCES NEW TRANSSHIPPING LEVY 



The decision to increase levy for trans- 

 shipping fish in ports by foreign vessels 

 from 28 cents a ton to US$19.60 had been an- 

 nounced August 7 to become effective Septem- 

 ber 1. Spanish and Japanese companies oper- 

 ating large fleets off South African and South- 

 West African coast quickly left for Angolan 

 and Mozambique coast. In the meantime, 

 Spain protested strongly. South Africa was 

 asked to postpone raise so that affected na- 

 tions could negotiate matter. On September 

 16, South Africa Railway Headquarters sus- 

 pending charge from that date and said "adjust- 

 ments' would be made to shippers who had paid 

 it. Accordingto"Cape Argus," September 20, 

 new wharfage charges on transfer of fish is 52 

 cents a ton if made direct from ship to ship; 

 52 cents, plus $1.68 for packages under two 

 tons, when landed on quay or jetty and then 

 loaded aboard on-going ship; and 52 cents, 

 plus $3.44 a ton, if transferred to cold store 

 and later to outgoing ship. These charges 

 will remain in effect until permanent tariffs 

 are announced; meanwhile, foreign ships are 

 returning to Cape Town. 



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FACTORYSHIP SUCCESS 

 INSPIRES NEW VENTURE 



On September 16, two leading Cape in- 

 shore fishing companies announced decisions 

 to buy a large factoryship to process fish 

 outside the 12 -mile fishing limit. The Min- 

 ister of Economic Affairs was said to have 

 allotted already the necessary licenses. Both 

 decisions to enter this field apparently had 

 been influenced by the initial success of the 

 privately owned ' Willem Barendsz." That 

 vessel had processed fish meal worth US$1.2 

 million on its first voyage, exceeding its 

 owners' most optimistic hopes. 



On September 19, the twogroups announced 

 they would unite to operate factoryships and 

 form a holding company and two subsidiary 

 operating companies for the purpose. One of 

 the subsidiaries will be a public company 

 with share capital of about $5.6 million and 

 operate two factoryships. Another company 

 with about $2.5 million, the price of about 18 



fully equipped 7 2 -foot trawlers, will operate 

 a mutual catching fleet for the two ships. The 

 announcement said: "The resultant economies 

 through this rationalisation in respect of 

 planning, administration, operation, and con- 

 servation of capital resources should be con- 

 siderable." 



Negotiations were completed to buy fac- 

 toryships in Norway for conversion in Cape 

 Town: one vessel--the 19,000-ton "Kosmos 

 V"--was bought for about $2.1 million from 

 the whaling company liquidating its Antarctic 

 fleet. 



The new owners hope that because the 

 Kosmos V was built originally as a factory- 

 ship, it can be made operable by the beginning 

 of 1967, and a second ship soon after. Les- 

 sons learned from converting the Willem 

 Barendsz should considerably decrease the 

 costs of new ventures. 



Two problems remain: the slowness in 

 removing fish meal from factoryships for 

 further shipment, and the limited Cape Town 

 harbor facilities. The danger of spontaneous 

 combustion prohibits haphazard transferral 

 of fish meal. At the same time, the longer a 

 factoryship remains in port to empty contents 

 the smaller the profit. The Willem Barendsz 

 took nearly a month. The facilities at Table 

 Bay will remain about the same for the near 

 future --and so will overcrowding. 



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PROPOSES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 



On September 16, the Minister of Economic 

 Affairs said in the House of Assembly that the 

 government was preparing to call an interna- 

 tional conference with countries that fished 

 off the coast. The purpose would be to for- 

 mulate a policy acceptable to all parties -- 

 and also protect the local industry. Many- 

 countries had already indicated a willingness 

 to participate. In the meantime, the minister 

 said, a commission of inquiry would soon be 

 appointed to investigate the local trade. He 

 said there would be little point in attempting 

 to extend the 12 -mile fishing limit. (U. S. 

 Embassy, Pretoria, Sept. 27, 1966.) 



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