No Disruption Of Supply In Rodrigues During The Festive Period

The Private Notice Question this morning focused on the supply of products and goods to Rodrigues. Xavier-Luc Duval wanted to know the reasons for the delay in chartering a new vessel. In his reply, the Minister of Blue Economy explained the various stages of the Mauritius Shipping Corporation Limited’s attempt to charter a cargo ship to replace the Black Rhino, which is due for refurbishment. He explained that on a few occasions, the call for expressions of interest proved unsuccessful. Nevertheless, Minister Maudhoo said that negotiations were successful in retaining the MV Douro for two months at US$12,500 per day. The Minister gave assurances that there will be no disruption in the supply of goods to Rodrigues. However, Xavier-Luc Duval insisted that the Minister gave a different version to a previous question on the subject. The leader of the Opposition also referred to a letter that the Chief Commissioner sent to the Minister saying that the situation is already critical in Rodrigues. To which Sudheer Maudhoo replied that the recent protest was about a shortage of cement but that things are back to normal.