Continuing his visits to essential service providers in the country, President Faure visited the Indian Ocean Tuna (IOT) factory, an associated company of Thai Union Group, this morning.

Following a safety briefing, the President was officially welcomed by incoming General Manager of IOT, Mr Ricardo Luzio, currently in Portugal, and Dr Sven Massen, Operations Director Manager of Europe Operations of Thai Union Group PCL, via conference call. The President was briefed on the operations of IOT, its performance, and outlook moving forward. How IOT is coping amidst the fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic and the various safety measures for employees in place was also discussed.

The President visited the factory premises and key zones in the tuna processing plant, such as the assembly line and quality control laboratory, meeting staff and thanking them in person for their contributions.

The President commended the IOT Management and workforce for their hard work as one of the key contributors to the country’s economy and a solid partner in developing Seychelles’ economic growth. In particular, he thanked the management and staff for their immense contributions during the period of restricted movement, maintaining full operations to support the economy, saying, “I am very impressed by the discipline and work ethic of the IOT family and happy I could visit today. You all play an essential role contributing to the country’s economy and you should be proud of the work you are doing for Seychelles. I would like to thank you for everything.”

Present for the visit were IOT Board Directors, Mr Rupert Simeon, Mr Steve Khambatta and Mr Frank Hoareau, Head of Operations, Mr Herve Girouard, Environment Health, Safety and Security Manager, Mr Mark Benoiton, and members of the IOT Senior Management Team.