Ferry Contract & Ebola Update

RNS Number : 9048J

Westminster Group PLC

13 April 2015

 

13 April 2015

Westminster Group Plc:

Ferry Vessel and Ebola Update.

Westminster Group Plc ('Westminster' or the 'Group'), the AIM listed supplier of managed services and technology based security solutions to governments and government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGO's) and blue chip commercial organisations worldwide, is pleased to provide an update on its new Ferry Services contract following the announcement dated 4 March 2015, and an update on the improving Ebola situation in West Africa.

Ferry Vessel Update:

The 38.9m, 200 seat, high performance passenger ferry, named 'Sierra Queen', is due to arrive in Sierra Leone from Norway at the end of April 2015 on board a heavy lift delivery vessel which is one of the few vessels currently able to safely lift and transport a ferry craft of this size to Sierra Leone.

Westminster's in-country staff have made significant progress developing the terminals and infrastructure required for the launch and commencement of operations.

The grand launch with Ministers, Dignitaries and local business leaders is being planned for shortly after the vessel's arrival and further details on this and other activities will be announced in due course.

Ebola Update:

The Ebola situation in West Africa is showing a marked improvement.  In Sierra Leone, just 25 cases countrywide were reported in the last week of March, which compares with over 300 cases a week being reported in the height of the outbreak. 7 districts have now reported no new cases in over 34 days with 4 districts being declared completely Ebola free after more than 42 days with no reported cases (Source: UNMEER & WHO).

With the improvement in the Ebola situation, passenger numbers are beginning to return and airlines are looking to resume services. Air Maroc have added an extra flight to their schedules and will now be operating 4 flights a week from April and Kenya Airways have flights scheduled for the end of April. Other airlines are expected to commence operations in the coming months.

Commenting on progress Peter Fowler, Chief Executive of Westminster Group, said:

"Sierra Queen is a superb and very impressive 'flag ship' vessel for our new ferry operations in Sierra Leone and we are delighted she will be arriving in country this month to provide a much needed professional and fast ferry transit service between Freetown International Airport and the capital, Freetown. 

"The arrival of our vessel later this month and commencement of operations is excellent timing given the significant improvements we are seeing with the Ebola situation and improving airport passenger numbers. In March we saw over 9,000 passengers passing through the airport which was the highest levels seen for 7 months and an indication of returning confidence. With resumption of flights and increasing passenger numbers passing through the airport, together with the volumes of local traffic, we anticipate that there will be a significant and growing demand for our premium ferry service.

"The continuing improvement in passenger numbers, following the easing of the Ebola situation, has had a positive impact on the financial performance of our airport operations in the first quarter of this year, marking a turnaround from the inevitable adverse impact the crisis had on the operation in the second half of 2014. We expect this positive trend to continue as recovery gathers pace."

For further information please contact:

Westminster Group plc.	Tel: [phone]
Peter Fowler (Chief Executive)
Ian Selby (Chief Financial Officer)
S. P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP (NOMAD + Broker)	Tel: [phone]
Stuart Gledhill/Katy Birkin
Walbrook PR (Financial PR)	Tel: [phone]
Tom Cooper/Paul Vann	0797 122 1972
	[e-mail]

Notes:

Westminster Group plc is a leader in the supply of system solutions and products to the security, defence, fire protection and safety markets worldwide.

Westminster's principal activity is the design, supply and ongoing support of advanced technology security solutions, encompassing a wide range of surveillance, detection, tracking and interception technologies and the provision of long term managed services contracts such as the management and running of complete security services and solutions in airports, ports and other such facilities together with the provision of ferry services, manpower, consultancy and training services. The majority of its customer base, by value, comprises governments and government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGO's) and blue chip commercial organisations.  For further information please visit www.wsg-corporate.com  

 

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