A cargo ship has halted its journey to Suva following reports of congestion at the port. The local shipping agent for the Capitaine Tasman confirmed that the vessel would not be docking in the capital due to a lack of available berthing space.
Late last night, the ports authority reported that the vessel arrived a day late. “There was no berth available on September 21 as the vessel arrived late and other ships were occupying the North and South berths,” stated Shone Pereira, the operations manager at Fiji Ports Terminal.
For export businesses such as Performance Flotation Development, this delay is one of several encountered in recent months and is often met with frustration. “All inbound goods will be offloaded at Lautoka port and transferred to another ship, Capitaine Magellan, for delivery to Suva,” said the textile manufacturer based in Nabua.
Mike Towler, managing director of Performance Flotation Development, expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation at the wharf. “This is the sort of issue we must endure with Fiji Ports. It’s really frustrating,” he remarked.
Performance Flotation Development is recognized as the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. According to the local agent, Shipping Services Fiji Limited, the Capitaine Tasman omitted Suva on its voyage due to the unavailability of berthing space, yard congestion, and slow operational productivity.
“All our inbound cargo will be discharged in Lautoka and transferred to Capitaine Magellan for transport to Suva,” Shipping Services confirmed.