A cargo ship has had to pause its journey to the capital city due to reports of congestion. The local shipping agent for the vessel Capitaine Tasman has confirmed that it will not be docking in Suva because there is insufficient berthing space available.
Late last night, the Ports Authority revealed that the vessel had arrived a day later than scheduled. Fiji Ports Terminal’s operations manager, Shone Pereira, explained, “There was no berth available on September 21 since the vessel arrived late and other ships occupied both the North and South berths.”
For export operators such as Performance Flotation Development, this delay—one of many experienced in recent months—has been met with frustration. The textile manufacturer, based in Nabua, indicated that inbound goods would be unloaded at Lautoka port and transferred to another vessel, Capitaine Magellan, for delivery to Suva.
Managing Director Mike Towler expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation at the wharf, stating, “This is the kind of nonsense we have to deal with at Fiji Ports. It’s ridiculous.”
Performance Flotation Development is recognized as the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. Shipping Services Fiji Limited, the local agent, noted that Capitaine Tasman had skipped Suva on this voyage due to a combination of factors, including unavailability of berthing, yard congestion, and slow vessel operations. All inbound cargo will be offloaded in Lautoka and then moved to Capitaine Magellan for transport to Suva.