A cargo ship has halted its journey to the capital after reports of congestion were received. The local shipping agent for the Capitaine Tasman confirmed that the vessel will not dock in Suva due to a lack of berthing space. Late last night, the Ports Authority indicated that the ship arrived a day later than planned.
Fiji Ports Terminal Operations Manager Shone Pereira explained that there was no available berth on September 21 as the vessel was delayed and other ships were occupying the North and South berths. This situation is particularly frustrating for export operators such as Performance Flotation Development, who have experienced similar setbacks in recent months.
All inbound goods will now be offloaded at Lautoka Port and transferred to another ship, Capitaine Magellan, to continue to Suva. Mike Towler, managing director of Performance Flotation Development, expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation at the wharf, describing it as a serious issue with Fiji Ports and labeling the circumstances as a joke.
Performance Flotation Development is the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. According to Shipping Services Fiji Limited, the Capitaine Tasman omitted Suva on this voyage due to berthing unavailability, yard congestion, and slow vessel operations. All inbound cargo will be discharged at Lautoka and moved to the Capitaine Magellan for transport to Suva.