Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji Chief Executive Officer Joweli Ratulevu Cawaki has confirmed that the current port facilities are certainly old and need to be upgraded.
In an interview with fijivillage News, Cawaki says the current aging infrastructure has been there for some time, and they need to rectify the defects of the various ports around the country.
He says they have a facilitation committee that looks after these issues and they have plans to upgrade the main ports of entry like Natovi, Nabouwalu, and the Narain Jetty.
He says the current mandate regarding port infrastructure is looked after by the Fiji Roads Authority and the management of the ports is handled by MSAF.
Cawaki says there are about forty-seven ports around the country but they will first prioritise the busy ports like Natovi and Nabouwalu in the first three years.
When questioned on the time frame the projects will likely start given the huge number of ports of entries, Cawaki says it will begin this year.
He says with the increase in traffic between Natovi and Nabouwalu, there is an immediate need to upgrade the aging infrastructure.
