A cargo ship has had to halt its journey to the capital due to reports of congestion at the port. The local shipping agent for the Capitaine Tasman announced that the vessel would not be able to dock in Suva because there was insufficient berthing space available.
Ports authority officials indicated that the ship arrived a day late, explaining that there were no berths open on September 21 due to delays and other vessels occupying the North and South berths. Shone Pereira, the operations manager at Fiji Ports Terminal, confirmed the situation.
The delay has been frustrating for export operators such as Performance Flotation Development, marking yet another setback in recent months. The company reported that all inbound goods will now be unloaded at Lautoka port before being transferred to another ship, Capitaine Magellan, for delivery to Suva.
Mike Towler, managing director of Performance Flotation Development and the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere, expressed his discontent with the situation at the wharf, stating, “This is the sort of situation we must endure with Fiji Ports. It’s a joke.”
Shipping Services Fiji Limited added that the Capitaine Tasman was forced to skip Suva on this voyage due to a lack of berthing space, yard congestion, and slow productivity of vessel operations. All incoming cargo will be discharged in Lautoka and moved to Capitaine Magellan for further transport to Suva.