A cargo ship has had to halt its journey to the capital amid reports of port congestion. The local shipping agent for the Capitaine Tasman confirmed that the vessel would not be able to dock in Suva due to insufficient berthing space. However, the ports authority noted that the ship arrived a day later than planned.
“On September 21, there were no berths available as the vessel arrived late, and other ships were occupying the North and South berths,” said Shone Pereira, the Fiji Ports Terminal operations manager.
For export businesses such as Performance Flotation Development, this setback, which is not a first occurrence in recent months, has been met with frustration. The textile manufacturer from Nabua stated, “All inbound goods will be unloaded at Lautoka port and transferred onto another ship, the Capitaine Magellan, to reach Suva.”
Mike Towler, managing director of Performance Flotation Development, expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation at the wharf, stating, “This is the sort of issue we have to endure with Fiji Ports. It’s a complete joke.”
Towler’s company is recognized as the largest manufacturer of life jackets in the Southern Hemisphere. Shipping Services Fiji Limited, the local agent, indicated that the Capitaine Tasman skipped Suva due to the lack of berthing space, yard congestion, and slow vessel operations. They confirmed that all incoming cargo would be unloaded in Lautoka and moved to the Capitaine Magellan for delivery to Suva.