The staff were honoured in the presence of the Minister for Employment, Immigration & Civil Status, Myriam Telemaque; the chief executive of Seypec, Conrad Benoiton; the chairman of Seypec board, Eddie Belle; past chief executives Livio Lang and Guy Adam; board members; staff and family members, among other invitees. Those not present were represented by family members who represented them.

The Seychelles Petroleum Company Limited (Seypec) has unveiled its first ‘Wall of Honour’ to pay tribute to employees who have achieved 30 years or more continuous service with the company.

It is a way of recognising their valuable contribution to the growth of the company as well as thanking them for their hard work, dedication and commitment.

The first line of twelve current and past workers who have achieved 30 years or more continuous service have their pictures and details hanged on the wall in the reception lobby of the Seypec head office, New Port.

The staff were honoured in the presence of the Minister for Employment, Immigration & Civil Status, Myriam Telemaque; the chief executive of Seypec, Conrad Benoiton; the chairman of Seypec board, Eddie Belle; past chief executives Livio Lang and Guy Adam; board members; staff and family members, among other invitees. Those not present were represented by family members who represented them.

Most of the honoured employees who talked to Seychelles NATION said that they are proud that Seypec has chosen to honour them. Most have worked for SHELL Oil Company before it was taken over by Seypec in 1985.

“I am very proud. I was not expecting such recognition as I have been away from the company since 2015. I know that I will be remembered for working with the company,” said 65-year-old and past employee Gilmy Ladouce from Cascade. He also worked for seven years for SHELL Oil Company as an aviation refueling operator. He now works as a driver with a retail shop.

Sixty-three-year-old Antonio Laporte, a tank farm supervisor, said that he was proud of his achievements with Seypec after all these years, “but even though it is now that I am being recognised for my achievements, I am still very happy. I thank those people who came with this idea,” said Mr Laporte, who claimed to have witness the growth of the company and was very happy also that it is being run entirely by Seychellois. Mr Laporte will retire and he is having another person mentored by him. He also worked for nine years with SHELL Oil Company as a tank farm operator.

Sixty-one-year-old housekeeper Adelsine Asba from Belonie also said that she was happy to have her picture on the wall and hopes that those coming after them will follow  their example. Prior to working for Seypec she worked for eight years for SHELL Oil Company.

Seypec’s first chief executive, Mr Lang, said that it was an honour for him to witness the honouring of some members of staff who had worked with him until his retirement in 1996 and are still working with the company. He noted that the ‘Wall of Honour’ “is a very good initiative to bring people together”.

As listed on its web page, Seypec was incorporated in April 1985 following the closure of the then SHELL Oil Company. In a nutshell, Seypec’s operations revolve around the supplying of fuel to the domestic market, bunkering of vessels, aviation refuelling activities and the management of its shipping arm.

Patrick Joubert