UAQ fishermen to get Dh5m ice factory

The project has been assigned to Sinmar Trading & Contracting which has prepared maps and designs. The company has also examined and analysed the soil.

Umm Al Quwain: The emirate of Umm Al Quwain will soon have a new ice factory, worth Dh5 million, to meet the needs of fishermen.
His Highness Shaikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, has ordered the allocation of a land plot for the project.
Hussain Obaid Al Hajiri, chairman of the UAQ Fishermen Society, said the government of Umm Al Quwain has already allotted the land plot for the construction of the ice factory, along with a conference room, a bakery and an administrative office.
"The scheme is in response to fishermen's needs to prevent large quantities of fish from turning bad," Al Hajiri said.
The project has been assigned to Sinmar Trading & Contracting which has prepared maps and designs. The company has also examined and analysed the soil.
"We have been waiting for years for this ice factory. All fishermen in the emirate are in dire need of such a factory as an alternative to skyrocketing ice prices, not including transport charges to the market from remote factories," said Saeed Rashid, an Emirati fisherman.
"We need more ice during the sweltering summer months as fish turn bad in a short time," said Ali Khalaf, another Emirati fisherman.
"An ice factory has become indispensable."
Al Hajiri said a marine workshop, run by the society, serves 356 fishermen in Umm Al Quwain. "The workshop helped maintain 3,000 motor boat engines last year, making a profit of Dh130,000. This will go back to member fishermen."
The marine workshop technicians work in two shifts to provide all services for local fishermen on a daily basis, Al Hajiri added.
"The workshop not only provides all the spare parts needed but also installs marine engines and cranes on board motor boats. It also promotes fishermen's awareness on the right way to prolong engine life."
Al Hajiri said fish cutting counters have increased to 36, and this has earned more revenues to the UAQ Fishermen Society.
- ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Umm Al Quwain