The condition of some Goundar Shipping vessels has come under scrutiny, with the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji confirming that certain vessels have been detained for inspections.

MSAF Chief Executive Joeli Cawaki acknowledges the services provided by the company but emphasizes that all operators must meet certain requirements.

Cawaki emphasizes that one such requirement is the age of the vessel, which must be less than 20 years to serve the maritime communities, and MSAF has received ongoing complaints about

Goundar Shipping is actively working with the company to resolve the issues.

“Unfortunately for Mr George, I understand he is running a business, but for us, he has made a lot of investment in buying the boats, and for us, MSAF, we are working closely with him on the survey for all the defects on board the boats to be rectified.”

Cawaki states that MSAF will not permit any vessel to operate until the defects have been addressed.

“So some of his boats are tied up here in the harbour because of those defects not being done, and likewise for the other companies. Not only for George, we are trying to be fair to all the operators; if your boat is not fit, then we will have to stop you from going.”

Efforts to obtain comments from Goundar Shipping regarding the issue remain futile. Meanwhile, the Lomaiviti Princess 9, which ran aground on a reef last weekend in Lomaloma, Vanuabalavu, has been towed to Suva and is currently docked at Narayan Jetty.