Senior shipping executives at both Swire Shipping and Matson South Pacific have expressed positivity about the prospect of Fiji Ports Corporation further developing the Port of Suva's position as a shipping hub for the Pacific region.
In a joint statement, Swire Shipping commercial general manager Chris Blake and Swire New Zealand country manager Brodie Stevens confirmed the importance of the port, through which their line has various multi-purpose liner trades calling.
"Fiji geographically is ideally placed as the hub port for the wider Pacific but infrastructure/process/procedure has stifled this," they stated.
"Swire Shipping has a close working relationship with the Fijian Port Authorities and is currently working with them on improvement in productivity and cargo handling methods. This is ongoing work, but important to ensure that the Fijian ports are efficient and competitive."
New Zealand Ambassador for Pacific Economic Development Shane Jones recently met with the executives, as well as with Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson, as part of an initiative to further partnerships between Fiji Ports and New Zealand business interests.
Iain MacIntyre
Image Source: TUBS/Wikimedia
