On 31 August 2013 it happened. The former Flemish research vessel RV Zeeleeuw, renamed RV Mtafiti, departed from the harbour of Ostend for its seven-week journey to Mombasa, Kenya. There the ship will be used by the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) to carry out marine studies of benefit to the local population and for several regional tasks in the Western Indian Ocean.
Earlier this year, following the launch of the brand-new vessel RV Simon Stevin, it became apparent that the RV Zeeleeuw (a research ship transformed from a pilot vessel (°1977) of Fleet division, the vessel operator of the Flemish Government) would not be sold but instead donated to Kenya. This donation is the result of the cooperation agreement of 19 October 2012 between the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). The ship has been renamed RV Mtafiti, which means "Researcher" in Kiswahili. After its arrival it will be used for diverse study projects in the Western Indian Ocean, where it will serve as an important stimulus for marine research. There is no permanent maritime research platform available on the East African coasts, in the vast area between Somalia and Mozambique.
With drum rolls the RV Mtafiti was officially been seen off on 23 August 2013 during a ceremony on the IDP shipyard of Ostend. A few days later, on 31 August, the vessel peacefully departed from its homeport Ostend. Earlier it underwent a thorough maintenance inspection at the IDP shipyard, financially supported by the Kenyan Ministry of Fisheries Development. With 29 crew members of the Kenyan navy on board the support of the Kenyan Ministry of Defence assures the safety of the transit - the ship will sail about 50 days to cover a total distance of 7 000 km to arrive in the Kenyan harbour city of Mombasa. On the way the ship will dock at 5 harbours (Vigo, Almeria, Malta, Port Said and Djibouti) and is expected to arrive on 15 October 2013. In the context of the cooperation agreement, the VLIZ will coordinate and facilitate the further progress of the ship's translocation. ‘Being an internationally renowned marine institute, the VLIZ will also contribute to supporting all scientific operations, for example by delivering and installing scientific equipment on board, and by training IT'-staff, scientific staff and students’, according to Ingrid Lieten, Flemish Minister for Innovation, Public Investment, Media and Poverty Reduction.
The fact that Flanders and Kenya will once again join forces has everything to do with a long tradition of working together in the field of marine science. In the framework of the 'Kenya-Belgium Project in Marine Sciences' (KBP) both countries already worked together between 1985 and 1997, under the leadership of Professor Philip Polk from the Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The project was a huge success and the scientific output was significant. Many Kenyans obtained a Master and/or PhD degree in Belgium and several Belgian students and professors in turn visited Kenya to undertake joint research activities with Kenyan counterparts. Several Belgian experts lived and worked in Mombasa for several years, side-by-side with the Kenyan colleagues. This did not only result in many scientific publications and in-depth research, but also in a community of people that know, respect and trust each other (even still today). Many of them now hold important functions at KMFRI, at VLIZ, at Flemish and Kenyan universities or governments and in international organisations such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. In the spirit of this long cooperation and relationship the handing over of the RV Zeeleeuw to Kenya was not a difficult decision. The Governor of West Flanders, who is also the president of the board of directors of VLIZ, Carl Decaluwé, succeeded in persuading Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Hilde Crevits, to complete this project successfully. On 3 May 2013 the handing over of the RV Zeeleeuw to the Republic of Kenya became a reality.
With the arrival of the oceanographic research vessel, Kenya will be able to investigate its entire Exclusive Economic Zone (up to 200 sea miles from the coast) in the Western Indian Ocean. This will allow Kenya to reach its goals for 2030 specified in ‘Kenya Vision 2030’. This policy vision explicitly refers to the fishing research, a healthy environment and the role that science, technology and information can play in this. The operation of RV Mtafiti will allow the KMFRI to pursue the objectives of the National Oceans and Fisheries Policy. Additionally, it will facilitate scientific research for the sustainable management of Kenya’s natural marine resources. In this way the donation of RV Mtafiti is important for the stimulation of the national strategy for food safety, poverty reduction and job creation as emphasized in the National Development Plan 2002-2008 and in the Economic Re-launch Strategy for Welfare and Job Creation (2003-2007). In Kenya the RV Mtafiti will be operated by the KMFRI, which will also make use of the ship in a broader regional context. In collaboration with WIOMSA (Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association), KMFRI will support and coordinate the operation of the RV Mtafiti.
Subsequently the RV Mtafiti will also be used in research of large marine ecosystems of the East African coast. In this regard it will contribute to priority themes, identified by African Member States of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, including coastal erosion, pollution, sustainable use of living resources, management of key habitats and ecosystems and tourism.
Director Jan Mees (VLIZ): ‘In this vast region approximately 55 million people are dependent on the coast and sea for their food, work and safety. In this context research can now be conducted in order to document the biodiversity, the fishing and aquaculture, the threats due to climate changes and overexploitation. The use of a research ship also allows, for the first time, research to be carried out regarding the impact of foreign industrial ships on the Kenyan coasts’.
PRESS CONTACT
- Jan Mees, Director VLIZ
- Tel. office: +32-(0)59-34 21 30
- Mobile: +32-(0)476-86 96 23
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
- Photo gallery
- Itinerary: Map of trip Ostend - Mombasa
- Current position of RV Mtafiti on Marine Traffic
