Category: Press Releases

Further to the updates provided in April and earlier this month, information is provided below on:

1. Finalisation of the cable landing station at Rupert’s Bay
2. The design, build and transfer of a domestic network
3. Tender and award of licence for a new internet service provider

Finalisation of the cable landing station at Rupert’s Bay

As noted in the press release of 01 June 2023, final local commissioning works for the installation, integration, testing and quality assurance of the Equiano fibre-optic cable Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE) were completed at the end of May 2023, one month ahead of schedule.

The local commissioning of the SLTE was identified as a key goal for this Government in its SHG Strategy and Vision 2023-2025, and is the culmination of three and half years’ work between SHG and local and international partners.

At the end of 2022, bad swells in Rupert’s Bay destabilised the sections of the subsea articulated pipework infrastructure, resulting in some limited movement from its anchoring points on the seabed. An inter-disciplinary team of international experts will therefore be on-Island over the next two weeks to assess the impact of this and will look to implement measures to prevent it from occurring again in the future. Whilst the movement caused no interruption to the signal transmission on the line, it is nonetheless important that the line is secured to the seabed to prevent damage from occurring in future seasonal bad swells.

The design, build and transfer of a domestic network

Since the award of the contract to Maestro St Helena to design, build and transfer a new domestic network to SHG, significant work has been ongoing across a number of project and programme boards, and by the contractor themselves.

Planning and pre-deployment work has been more complicated than anticipated. Whilst this is regrettable, it is allowing additional time for parties to ensure that all elements necessary are in place and approved.

To assist with this, SHG are appointing a new project management firm to input into, and supervise, the project. Although contracts are being finalised, these consultants have already begun working. The incoming consultants have significant industry experience in telecommunications infrastructure and network rollout, and SHG looks forward to working closely with them on this important project.

In the meantime, a bill is being brought before the Legislative Council to implement changes to the Telecommunications Ordinance 1989. If approved, the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2023 will provide permissions for personnel to access properties to undertake works in connection with the deployment of the network to enable the efficient and effective delivery of the project.

Such permissions would only be granted to persons that have been licenced, and for the purpose of installing or maintaining a telecommunications network. This provision already exists for the current service provider and in practice, and where applicable, households will be contacted to seek permission for teams to enter properties where any works on their property associated with the project are required.

Tender and award of licence for a new service provider

Earlier this year, SHG paused the tender process to find a service provider to operate the new network. SHG is now in negotiation with an expert consultancy firm to provide specialist advice and assurance in support of this process.

Once appointed, this will allow the opportunity for review of the proposed tender and ensure that where bids are submitted from interested parties following the tender’s restart, SHG is in a strong position to consider these against the future needs of the Island.

#StHelena #FibreOptic #IsolationConnected

This year, St Helena was represented by Mia Henry, Head of Maritime, at The Red Ensign Group Conference 2023, held from Monday 22 May to Thursday 25 May 2023 and hosted by the Cayman Islands.

The Red Ensign Group (REG) is the collective of British Shipping Registers. It is made up of the United Kingdom, and the Crown Dependencies and the UK Overseas Territories which operate shipping registers from their jurisdiction. Any ship registered in the UK, a Crown Dependency or an UK Overseas Territory is a ‘British ship’ and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign.

The agenda covered the overall performance of the REG, conventions and legislation, capacity building and succession planning to retain maritime skills and knowledge. And, importantly, a collective maritime strategy to raise the profile of the maritime sector.

Sessions were also held on the role and responsibilities of coastal states and addressed issues such as decarbonisation, pollution response and environmental concerns.

St Helena directly contributed to the Coastal State Forum on international obligations under the Safety of Life at Sea Convention, and initiated some discussion on future Marine Forecasting that will now give way to address issues collectively and share resources across its members.

There was also an opportunity for a bilateral meeting between SHG representative and MCA directors. During this the importance of making available funding to support SHGs goals and objectives, both long and short term, were raised as a key issue.

Under international maritime law, set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), every member state to the IMO must be audited. In 2021 the UK was audited, with a number of findings and recommendations identified, that apply directly and indirectly to the REG as a whole. To ensure that obligations are being met, the MCA continually assesses each Member of the REG by conducting proxy audits in line with those IMO requirements, in order to demonstrate overall compliance with international obligations. St Helena will be subject to a proxy audit at some point in 2024.

UK Maritime Minister Baroness Vere said:

“Over the past 34 years the Red Ensign Group (REG) has set itself apart by establishing rigorous safety measures, to protect seafarers and uphold the highest maritime standards on British flagged ships. I am thrilled that we have come together again to share our experience and practices, to ensure that the Red Ensign flag reflects the standards we are proud of. With the excellent work of the REG, we have built on our rich maritime history reinforcing the values that British flagged vessels stand for.”

Mia Henry, SHG Head of Maritime, commented:

“Coastal States are very much concerned with safety of navigation in our territorial waters. It was good to share our experiences and challenges. It is pleasing to know that there are areas that we could offer advice on, as well as take away, and where we are already implementing practices that others are still to adopt. With Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha also represented, the common denominator of the geographical isolation of our territories came across strongly.”

“The conference was well worth the extensive travel and thanks are extended to the MCA for the funding made available through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Overseas Territories Governance Programme for St Helena’s attendance, and their on-going support and to the Cayman Islands for the warm welcome received. Thanks are also extended to colleagues on Island who assisted with conference preparation, and who will be involved with the upcoming proxy audit next year.”

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#StHelena #RedEnsignGroup #MaritimeStrategy

Over the past two years, you may have seen events organised on St Helena and online to raise funds for the Community Care Centre (CCC). These events have now raised over £11,000. This has been mainly put towards improving the comfort of the residents by creating a beautiful outdoor space where they can sit in the shade and enjoy the beautiful weather, and to installing two new high-quality televisions in the common rooms.

The first donation came from SODEXO, a company based in the Falkland Islands. Fundraising for the donation was organised thanks to one of their employees, Patricia Bennett, who worked at the CCC during the many months when St Helena has COVID-19 quarantine protocols in effect. 

The Bank of St Helena and Connect then joined in with fundraising efforts after being approached by Tracy Williams, SHG’s Environment Programme Manager.

Myrtle Clingham, former Head of Care at the CCC, organised a dance evening with the help of Melvin Benjamin from the Rock Club and Keith Joshua. The evening included a barbecue, music and a raffle. Prizes, very generously donated by members of the public and Island organisations, ranged from food hampers, plant pots, crockery, toasters, wine, spirits, chocolates and much more.

Many of these events were promoted on Facebook by Terri Clingham, prompting Johnny Clingham, originally from St Helena, who runs the blog and social media accounts for St Helena online, to set up a GoFundMe page. This attracted donations from South Africa, the Falklands and Australia, and enabled the purchase of the two televisions, which were kindly shipped to St Helena free of charge by Richard James International Ltd.

More information about the GoFundMe page can be found at www.sthelenaonline.org/help-us-to-raise-funds-to-fund-two-tvs-for-clients-on-st-helena/.

A collection was also organized by Gay Marr among the League of Friends Society on St Helena and further donations were received from families whose loved ones had stayed at the CCC. 

Rosalie Hall Brown, Head of Service Social Care, said:

“It is absolutely fantastic to see the residents at the CCC enjoying the garden and the new televisions, especially knowing all of the hard work that went into raising the funds that have made this happen. It is a testament to the St Helena community, both here and abroad, that so many people stepped forward to fundraise and donate. I think I speak for all residents, staff and management in thanking everyone for their actions, support and donations.”

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#StHelena #CommunityCareCentre #Fundraising

On Wednesday 14 June 2023, World Blood Donor Day will once again be celebrated around the world. Officially designated as an annual event by the World Health Assembly in 2005, the day provides a special opportunity to celebrate and thank voluntary blood donors around the world for their gift of blood, and to mobilise support at national, regional and global levels from governments and development partners to invest in, strengthen and sustain national blood programmes.

Why it’s so important

Blood plays a vital role in all medical and surgical procedures. Every year, millions of lives are saved by blood transfusions and blood products. It helps patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses to live longer and gives them a better quality of life. Access to sufficient blood can save many who suffer severe blood loss in accidents, bleeding during and after childbirth, and patients undergoing chemotherapy.

What you can do to help

Here on St Helena, the Pathology Department has a panel of 180 ‘mobile blood donors’ from across the Island. Although this seems like a reasonable number, it is still not enough. Blood can only be stored for 35 days and St Helena policy is for donors to give blood no more than twice a year. This is why a register of all voluntary blood donors is kept, and rather than hold a bank of blood in reserve, donors are instead asked to give their blood when needed to avoid major wastage.

We are always looking for new blood donors, especially those with rhesus-negative groups (e.g. ‘O’ negative, ‘A’ negative, ‘B’ negative and ‘AB’ negative). On the current registry, we only have five ‘O’ negative donors, five ‘B’ negative donors, 12 ‘A’ negative donors and one ‘AB’ negative donor. This can be a problem if a patient requires one of these blood types, as such patients can only receive specific rhesus-negative blood. Ideally, we would like to have a list of 150 O+ donors and at least 50 donors for each of the rhesus-negative groups.

Today is an opportunity for the Pathology Department to encourage healthy people to donate blood, to highlight the critical role of voluntary unpaid regular blood and plasma donations in achieving universal access to safe blood products for all populations, and to thank individuals who donate blood regularly in the Island.

How to get in touch and donate

If you are a healthy person between the ages of 17 and 65 and would like to become a blood donor, please contact the Pathology Department via telephone on 22500. The staff there will be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

It’s sure to be a life-changing experience when you see the difference you can make to someone’s life by donating blood.

Note to Editor:

There are four main blood groups (types of blood); A, B, AB and O. Your blood group is determined by the genes you inherit from your parents. Each group can either rhesus D (RhD) positive or RhD negative, which means in total there are eight blood groups.

Red blood cells sometimes have another antigen, a protein known as the RhD antigen. If this is present, your blood group is RhD-positive. If it’s absent, your blood group is RhD negative.

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#StHelena #WorldBloodDonorDay #BloodDonors

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) has been celebrated every year on 15 June since its launch in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization.

Elder abuse is an intentional act of misconduct or inaction that may cause or create a risk of harm to an older person. It is a global problem. It is estimated that around 500,000 older people are victims of abuse in the UK alone, and St Helena is no exception. However, as a small community, we can minimise abuse or neglect by standing up for our elders. Doing so increases their safety and well-being, and draws attention to the need for all of us to take responsibility for preventing elder abuse.

Our older people may become isolated in our community when their working careers. It is easy for older people to become forgotten or neglected, particularly if they are relying on family and friends for care, who may be busy with their own lives or potentially even living overseas. Neglect is a form of abuse, and can often go unnoticed.

Elder abuse is a serious problem and we need to work hard to raise awareness of it. Our elderly should be supported throughout the year and we should ensure that their difficulties are not ignored.

Any form of elder abuse is a criminal offence and can have a significant negative impact on a person’s life. If you become aware of someone who is being abused, you should take immediate action to protect their social and human rights.

If you see an older person being abused or neglected, please report it to the Adult Services team who can be contacted on 23172. Or the Equality and Human Rights Team on the telephone number: 22133. If it is considered to be an emergency please contact 999 or the Police Reception on the telephone number: 22626.

WEAAD encourages us to work together, to stand up and speak out to safeguard our older people by protecting their rights to live in a safe community, free from abuse and neglect.

The colour purple is associated with WEAAD as it represents royalty, dignity and respect, exactly how we should describe and treat our elders. So on Thursday 15 June, ‘be purple’, wear purple and light purple to raise awareness of the need for our community to be free from elder abuse.

#StHelena # WorldElderAbuseAwarenessDay #Purple #WEAAD

At a meeting of the Executive Council on Tuesday 21 March 2023, it was agreed that several changes to customs and duty rates would be introduced from 1 April 2023. These changes were considered by the Tax and Revenue Working Group before being proposed to the Executive Council. The working group includes representatives from the Legislative Council and the Chamber of Commerce.  

The Health and Social Care Portfolio has also been consulted about these changes and anticipate that, where applicable, they will contribute to reducing the health and social harms caused by alcohol and tobacco consumption on the Island. 

Increase in Imported Alcohol Duty

In relation to alcohol, Executive Council agreed duty on all imported alcohol will be increased by the current rate of inflation, which according to the most recent retail price index, is 5.7%. This is the same approach that has been applied in recent years, and means that the rate of duty on alcohol will stay effectively the same, once the effects of inflation have been considered. 

Under the Customs and Excise Ordinance 1999, import duty on alcohol is set at a specific rate per litre upon importation, not as a percentage of the retail price of the product, meaning that price increases faced by consumers will not be the same as the duty increase.

New Import Duty Category Rate for Beers and Ciders Between 4.5-6.0% abv

Beers and fermented beverages (such as ciders) are subject to duty according to what alcohol by volume (abv) duty band they fall within. There are currently three duty bands: up to 3% abv; 3% to 4.5% abv; and above 4.5% abv.

Executive Council has agreed that a new duty band be introduced from 1 April 2023 for beers and ciders with an abv of 4.5% to 6%. The duty rate for the new band will be set halfway between the rate for 3% to 4.5% abv and the highest rate of duty, which will now only apply to all beer and fermented beverages with an abv over 6%.

Feedback from importers, retailers and hospitality operators is that many people, and tourists in particular, have an expectation that certain well-known, higher-strength beers will be available on St Helena, but that the current duty arrangements mean that importers are discouraged from importing them. 

This change will support many hospitality and retail businesses to improve their offerings to both St Helenians and tourists. 

Tobacco Duty Increase

From 1 April 2023, duty on imported tobacco has increased by 6.7%. This level of increase is the current rate of inflation (5.7%) plus 1%, and is a continuation of the above inflation duty increases for tobacco applied in previous years. 

Smoking is not only addictive but is very damaging to an individual’s health, which in turn imposes costs on our whole community. 

Tobacco duty has increased substantially in recent years and the Island has seen a reduction in the number of people who smoke as a result, with almost 15% less people considering themselves to be a smoker in 2021 compared to 2016.  

International evidence shows that increasing the real price of tobacco is one of the most effective measures available to governments to discourage tobacco usage and reduce the associated harms. 

Review of Alcohol and Tobacco Taxation

SHG recognises that more work is required to fully assess the most appropriate taxation regime for both alcohol and tobacco in St Helena. It will therefore be undertaking a broad review in the next nine months to evaluate what impact the changes introduced this year have had on behaviours and patterns of consumption, and to establish whether any further policy changes might be appropriate ahead of the 2024-2025 financial year.

The review will investigate potential health and social impacts associated with harmful consumption patterns and assess what, if any, taxation interventions might be appropriate to help address these. This will be considered as part of wider work underway to develop a strategy aimed at helping to address substance misuse within the community.

Any recommendations resulting from this review will then be submitted to Executive Council for consideration.

Diesel Fuel Exemption

Currently, diesel imported or sold for the purposes of generating electricity by Connect, use in commercial fishing or the running the fish processing plant is exempt from import duty. These diesel fuel exemptions were first applied in 2019 and have been extended in each year since.

Executive Council has decided to extend these exemptions for 2023-24. 

In 2023-24, the Government will undertake a review to assess the impact of the current exemptions and inform a decision as to whether or not they should be continued in future years. Possible alternatives to the current system of ad hoc exemptions will be considered as part of that review. 

#StHelena #Customs #Duties

On Tuesday 6 June 2023, biosecurity officers were notified that a snake approximately 10cm long and 2mm wide, resembling a long black ‘worm’, had been found at the Wharf. Following the alert, biosecurity officials investigated and positively identified it as a brahminy blind snake (Indotyphlops Braminus). Commonly known as the flowerpot snake, it is the smallest snake in the world, smaller even than a short piece of shoelace. This is the first time this, or any other species of snake has been recorded on St Helena.

They are harmless to humans and are no threats to pets. It is non-venomous and spends most of its time underground, in loose soil and moist leaves. Their diet mainly consists of the larvae, eggs and pupae of ants and termites. When disturbed or threatened, they can produce a foul-smelling musk and writhe vigorously.

This snake is native to Asia and Africa and is well-known in countries such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Egypt. It is not currently known to be present in the UK but has been accidentally introduced into many other countries around the world, including Spain, Australia and both North America and South America. This most commonly occurs via soil, compost, plant pots and the general plant trade.

As this snake can reproduce without male intervention it could easily become invasive here, as it has in other countries. While the risk of invasive species arriving on St Helena can never be completely eliminated, Biosecurity St Helena has several important import health standards and guidelines in place to try and minimise the risk. These include:

• Soil is not allowed to be imported into St Helena.
• Guidelines for the import of compost and peat.
• All live plant material requires an import health standard and requires an import licence.
• Goods, containers and vehicles are risk assessed and inspected upon arrival.

This information can be found on the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/portfolios/environment-natural-resources-planning/biosecurity, or by contacting Biosecurity directly. This can be done by telephone on 24724 or via email through Julie.balchin@sainthelena.gov.sh.

If anyone thinks they have found or seen this snake, a plant or any other species that they think is new or they haven’t seen before and think may be a potential invader, they are encouraged to get in touch with biosecurity. If possible, please try to take a photograph and give a detailed location when making a report, as both of these will help with the identification of the animal or plant.

Note to editors:

Not all newly discovered species will have just arrived at the Island. Some may have been on the Island for many years and gone undetected, either because they are not well-established or because they have been overlooked or thought to be something common. 

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The latest statistical updates have been released for Arrivals and Departures data on Tuesday 06 June 2023. For the month of April 2023, there were a total of 323 arrivals. This is more than twice the number of arrivals compared to the same period in 2022 (155). Of these April 2023 arrivals, 291 arrived by air and the remaining 32 by sea. Leisure arrivals numbered 199, the majority (68%) were non-Saint Helenian tourist visitors.

Additional statistical series and indicators are available at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics as well as published statistical reports, including Statistical Bulletins.

We welcome comments and suggestions on any of the statistics published by the Statistics Office. Please contact the team by telephone on 22138, via email through: statistics@sainthelena.gov.sh or visit the office in person on the top floor of the Post Office Building, Jamestown.

#StHelena #Statistics #ArrivalsAndDepartures

The latest statistical updates have been released for population data on Tuesday 6 June 2023. There were an estimated 4,327 people on the island at the end of April 2023, of which 4,171 were estimated to be resident, and 156 were visiting.

The updated data file (in Excel format) can be downloaded here, and contains estimates of the number of people on St Helena in various categories.

Additional statistical series and indicators, and various statistical bulletins and reports, are available at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics/.

We welcome comments and suggestions on any of the statistics published by the Statistics Office. Please contact the team by telephone on 22138, via email through: statistics@sainthelena.gov.sh or visit the office in person on the top floor of the Post Office Building, Jamestown

#StHelena #Statistics #StatisticalUpdatePopulation

Today, Thursday 8 June 2023, is World Oceans Day. World Oceans Day is celebrated worldwide each year, and is an opportunity to showcase our oceans, highlight their importance and raise public awareness of the impact our actions have on our oceans.

This year’s theme is “Planet Ocean: The Tides Are Changing”.

St Helena is surrounded by the rich South Atlantic Ocean, making our marine environment one of the Island’s most precious natural assets. It is valued for its beauty and diversity, its cultural and historical influences on our community, its economic benefits and its ability to provide health and wellness benefits.

Since the designation of our 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as a sustainable use Marine Protected Area (MPA) in September 2016, St Helena has embraced the changing tide by continually improving its understanding of the marine environment and the actions needed to protect it.

The Environment Natural Resources and Planning (ENRP) Portfolio is pleased to announce that a new Marine Management Plan (MMP) 2023-2027 has been approved by Executive Council. This new plan will guide the management of St Helena’s MPA for the next five years.

Implementing the MMP requires ongoing and appropriate research, constantly evolving policy and legislation and, above all, community involvement and buy-in.

The full MMP can be viewed online via www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/St-Helena-MMP_FINAL_2023.pdf

The day is also marked by the premiere of the documentary ‘Voyage of Discovery’, which will be broadcast on Sure TV from 4pm today and will run for two weeks. This documentary follows international experts and our very own St Helena staff as they undertake exploratory and scientific work aboard the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery.

Staff joined the ship last year and worked together with those on board to complete a variety of research initiatives in the St Helena Marine Protected Area between 26 November and 5 December 2022. Followed by a film crew for the duration of the voyage, the footage has now been turned into a documentary, allowing everyone to see what work was undertaken and the discoveries made.

On the launch of the MMP, Chief Environmental Officer, Isabel Peters commented:

“It is so fitting that we are able to publish St Helena’s new Marine Management Plan today on World Oceans Day. Since our first Marine Management Plan was adopted in 2016, there has been so much progress made in discovering more about our unique marine environment. This greater understanding, and a fully collaborative approach with both on-island and off-island stakeholders and partners, has shaped our management objectives and actions for the next five years.”

“On behalf of the ENRP Portfolio, thank you to everyone who has contributed to the development of this Marine Management Plan and we are looking forward to your continued support in delivering it”

For further information about the MMP please contact the Marine Fisheries and Conservation Section by telephone on 25966 or via email through marine@helenta.co.sh.

#StHelena #SmallIslandBigFuture #StHelenaMPA #WorldOceansDay #DY159