A cargo ship suspended its journey to the capital due to reports of congestion at the port. The local shipping agent for Capitaine Tasman confirmed that the vessel would not be docking in Suva due to insufficient berthing space.
The ports authority announced late last night that the vessel arrived a day late. Fiji Ports Terminal operations manager Shone Pereira explained that there were no available berths on September 21, as the ship arrived late and other vessels were occupying both the North and South berths.
For export operators like Performance Flotation Development, this disruption is not the first in recent months and is often met with frustration. The company stated that all inbound goods will now be offloaded at Lautoka port and transferred to another ship, Capitaine Magellan, to be delivered to Suva.
Performance Flotation Development’s managing director, Mike Towler, expressed his displeasure regarding the situation at the wharf, calling it unacceptable. His company is the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, local agent Shipping Services Fiji Limited indicated that Capitaine Tasman skipped Suva due to the lack of berthing space, yard congestion, and slow vessel operation productivity. All inbound cargo will be unloaded in Lautoka and sent to Suva via Capitaine Magellan.