Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka officially opened the Lautoka Port Yard 4 Container Project and launched the Sugar City’s Port Master Plan at a ceremony in Lautoka, marking the latest phase in upgrades designed to strengthen Fiji’s maritime gateway. Rabuka said the works — begun with a groundbreaking in September 2024 — were completed in roughly 18 months and represented “disciplined planning, strategic investment, and strong partnerships” between government, industry and regional development partners.
Fiji Ports Corporation Limited (FPCL) is the lead investor in the multi-component programme. Rabuka set out the package of works and costs: $F14 million was invested in the Queen’s Wharf rehabilitation to improve structural integrity and operational safety; $6.81 million went to dredging to enhance operational reliability and marine safety; and $503,754 was spent on Lautoka Port foreshore development and the Port Master Plan. In total, $24.3 million has been committed to upgrades of Container Yards 3 and 4.
The Port Master Plan launched at the event provides a long-term development framework intended to guide sustainable expansion, modernisation and efficient use of port land. Rabuka said Yard 4 was a direct response to a key constraint identified in that plan: an existing four-hectare container yard that is operating close to its effective limits. At current, efficient utilisation levels, that yard can support only about 85,000 to 89,000 TEUs, he said, and projections indicate additional yard capacity will be required as early as 2027 to 2029 if no intervention is made.
Yard 4’s activation aims to create the stacking area needed to handle rising container volumes driven by Fiji’s growing trade. Rabuka highlighted operational targets to keep Lautoka competitive with regional ports, including a 200 TEU ground-slot-per-hectare efficiency benchmark and the provision of dedicated truck exchange zones to reduce congestion and improve port logistics. He also cited plans to lay the groundwork for broader modernisation, such as biosecurity improvements, enhanced customs infrastructure and other operational upgrades.
Officials say the combination of wharf rehabilitation, dredging and yard expansion will improve turnaround times, reduce delays for exporters and importers, and support the logistics chain that serves farmers and the wider business community. The dredging work, in particular, is intended to strengthen FPCL’s commitment to maintaining “safe, efficient and resilient maritime infrastructure” at Lautoka, the country’s second-largest port.
The master-plan launch is intended to move the conversation beyond individual projects to a coordinated approach for future growth of the port precinct and foreshore. With Yard 4 now open and dredging and wharf works completed, authorities are positioning Lautoka to handle increased container flows and to underpin Fiji’s role as a reliable maritime hub in the Pacific.
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