Owners of derelict vessels around Fiji waters have been instructed to remove them or face consequences.

Permanent Secretary for Environment Joshua Wycliffe says these vessels are not only becoming an eyesore at the harbor but is also hazardous to the marine environment.

Wycliffe says it is the responsibility of owners to remove their derelict vessels and not abandon them at the harbor.

“I call upon those owners to please look at this issue immediately and something that is harmful not just one particular space within that sea, the oceanic area where they have left them but also how it harms the nature and the environment surrounding, the marine lives surrounding and the communities that have impacted.”

Acting Tui Suva or chief of the Yavusa Suva, Ratu Solomoni Kinitavaki says these derelict ships in the Suva Harbour are severely affecting their food source.

Kinitavaki says they have raised the issue during the provincial council meeting for the relevant agencies to look into it.

The Ministry of Environment and Waterways have met with the Maritime Safety Authority and the Fiji Ports Corporation Limited to look at ways to solve this issue.