A cargo ship has 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 will not dock in Suva because there is no available berthing space. The Ports Authority later stated that the ship arrived a day late.
According to Shone Pereira, the Fiji Ports Terminal operations manager, there was no berth available on September 21 as the vessel arrived late and other ships were occupying the North and South berths. This situation has created frustration for export operators like Performance Flotation Development, which has faced similar delays in recent months.
The Nabua-based textile manufacturer indicated that all inbound goods would be offloaded at Lautoka port and transferred to another ship, Capitaine Magellan, for transportation to Suva. Mike Towler, the managing director of Performance Flotation Development, expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, “This is the sort of issue we must endure with Fiji Ports,” and added, “It’s a joke.”
Performance Flotation Development is the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. Shipping Services Fiji Limited acknowledged that the Capitaine Tasman omitted Suva from its route due to berthing unavailability, yard congestion, and slow vessel operations. They confirmed that all inbound cargo will be transferred to Capitaine Magellan for Suva.