A cargo ship had to halt its journey to the capital due to reports of congestion at the port. The shipping agent for Capitaine Tasman confirmed that the vessel would not dock in Suva because there was no available berthing space.
According to the Ports Authority, the ship arrived a day late. Fiji Ports Terminal’s operations manager, Shone Pereira, stated, “There was no berth available on September 21 as the vessel arrived late and other ships occupied the North and South berths.”
For export firms such as Performance Flotation Development, this delay is not their first experience of such setbacks in recent months and is often met with frustration. The Nabua-based textile company disclosed that all inbound goods would be unloaded at Lautoka port and then transferred to another vessel, Capitaine Magellan, for transport to Suva.
Performance Flotation Development’s managing director, Mike Towler, expressed his discontent with the situation at the wharf, stating, “This is the sort of issue we must endure with Fiji Ports. It’s a joke.” His company is the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. The local agent, Shipping Services Fiji Limited, reported that Capitaine Tasman had skipped Suva because of a lack of berthing space, yard congestion, and slow operational productivity.
“We will discharge all our inbound cargo in Lautoka and transfer it to Capitaine Magellan for delivery to Suva,” Shipping Services added.