The Department of Lands in the Northern Division has admitted to an error in issuing a foreshore lease to Nawi Island Marina in Savusavu.

This comes amid ongoing tension as a dispute over the foreshore lease continues to create operational challenges between Nawi Island Marina and Copra Shed Marina in Savusavu town.

Speaking at the Savusavu town hall meeting, Copra Shed Managing Director Doly Singh raised concerns about transparency and timely responses from authorities to sensitive cases affecting business operations.

“Earlier this year, eight of our registered moorings were deliberately and illegally cut and removed by representatives of Nawi Island Marina, four of which had vessels secured to them at the time. These boats were untied without consent, towed to Nawi Island, and left unattended. These moorings have been in place for over 30 years and are registered with MSAF under Copra Shed Marina,”

In response, Divisional Land Manager Viliame Waqa acknowledged that an error had occurred on the foreshore lease approval.

“We admitted that, yes, they were correct. And we are working on rectifying it, especially on that lease. We convened a meeting, and we are trying to address that issue collectively with our stakeholders from the Fiji Ports, knowing the passageway for the yacht and MSAF. We will again convene a meeting soon to try and rectify that issue. That’s the update for now,”

Waqa noted that the absence of a foreshore officer in the North has caused significant delays in resolving foreshore lease cases.

He added that a dedicated officer is expected to be appointed in the next financial year to improve communication with the Suva office.

Meanwhile, Nawi Island Marina, in a statement, said that the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji was consulted both before and after the removal of the moorings.

It also stated that the moorings were removed with the express consent of the MSAF CEO.

The company further claims that while Copra Shed Marina renewed its mooring licenses annually, it failed to disclose to MSAF that the moorings were within Nawi Island Marina’s foreshore lease area.

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