‘$59 million to remove derelict vessels from harbour, port areas’

Scan QR code for today’s order paper

It will cost about $59 million to remove all derelict ships in the Suva Harbour, Lautoka Port and Levuka Port areas.

The removal of one ship could cost around $50,000 to millions of dollars. Currently, there are 17 derelict vessels and 32 wrecks in the Suva Harbour and two-port areas combined.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday, the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the cost was quite enormous.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said local shipping companies that did not have shipwreck removal insurance littered Fiji’s harbours with unremoved derelict ships, when by law they were responsible for removing derelict ships and not the Fiji Ports Corporation Limited.

Most vessel owners, he said, have disappeared after sinking their ships leaving the derelict ships behind, adding that a number of shipping companies have been given notices to remove their derelict ships.

“We are happy to report that none of the derelict ships at the moment caused any damage visibly, the Department of Environment has not alerted us to any environmental degradation from these derelict ships,” he said.

“They are, of course, a nuisance in the sense that it can get in the way in terms of the various movement of vessels in the harbour.

“It is obviously not an easy task to do, it does require lots of logistics and planning and the Department of Environment also needs to be involved in it.”