FUJAIRAH // The Ministry of Environment and Water has granted 42 outboard boat motors to fishermen as part of a financial support scheme.
Mahmoud Al Sharaa, head of the Fujairah Fishermen Association, said the replacement motors were provided to “registered sailors that have a regular record in fishing trips and didn’t benefit from this initiative during the past three years”.
Mr Al Sharaa said the price of each engine was about Dh26,000. The sailors covered Dh14,000 of the price, with the ministry paying the rest.
“Each sailor has the chance to change his boat engine every three years with the help of the ministry,” he said.
Previously, the ministry had provided its own engines, but as they only had 115-horsepower the sailors considered them underpowered.
“We have 31 to 43 feet tall fishing boats, and the power of the new engines will not work on it,” said fisherman Jassim Ahmad, 56.
“Either you install two of them on one boat or you buy a 200 horsepower engine.”
Mohammed Humaid, 30, another sailor, said while he was grateful to the Ministry’s support, he wished there were changes to the scheme. “They make it very hard on us, we appreciate their support, but things should be much easier and more flexible,” he said.
rhaza@thenational.ae
