Lighthouses on Yemeni coasts and islands [Archives:2005/842/Business & Economy]

Mahyoub Al-Kamaly
It is scheduled that the State Authority of Sea Affairs would present to the international sea organizations results of a study on surveys concerning the building of lighthouses on Yemeni coasts and islands. The aim of the surveys is to be a prelude for the installation of modern lighthouses for the organisation of international navigation movement there and at a time when the Yemeni government is planning to build a sea platform for Yemeni coast guards on the island of Myoun, in the south of the Red Sea, in order to facilitate their security tasks.

The surveys were conducted by a delegate of the international sea organisation to Yemen during his recent one-week field visit to the Red Sea area and Aden Gulf. His work with specialists of the State Authority of Sea Affairs, included a report of full assessments of the situation of the old lighthouses in the area as well as islands and coasts that it is imperative to be supplied with lighthouses. By sending an expert in sea lighthouses to Yemen, the international sea organisation intended to offer Yemen technical assistance in the area of building lighthouses and regulation of international navigation movement in the region.

Sources at the State Authority of Sea Affairs mentioned that conducting the survey, the first of its kind, would help Yemen improve safety of sea navigation in Yemen especially since Yemen has a coast of more than 2300 km long and overlooks important straits serving international navigation. The sources made it clear that results of the surveys included the building of modern lighthouses on Yemeni islands in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The establishment of a center for transmitting navigation information to ships sailing in the area and centers operating according to latest systems to help ships in defining their sites in the sea, pointing out that the Authority has put those projects as part of its third five-year plan of 2006-2010.

It is also scheduled that work for the building of a sea platform for the coast guard police in the island of Myoun south of the Red Sea would begin soon. A source at the Coast Guard Authority has clarified that the platform would be implemented with funding by the French government as part of its support for Yemeni Coast Guard. The source added that the French support would also include providing a transport and supplies ship to the Authority, indicating that the ship would be used for transporting various kinds of supplies to Coast Guard personnel during their implementation of their tasks.
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