Suva Harbour. [Source: Flickr]

There are currently 17 derelict vessels and 32 wrecks in Suva Harbour, Lautoka, and Levuka ports.

Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says removing one derelict vessel from the harbour is a costly task.

He says this could cost somewhere between $50,000 and millions of dollars.

Sayed-Khaiyum says an estimate done previously revealed that the cost of removing all the derelict vessels would cost $59 million.

He adds that the onus is on the vessel owners to remove the derelict ships.

“The fact is that these ship owners actually have the responsibility. They are the ones who are supposed to remove it and now the burden seems to be falling on Fiji Ports Corporation Limited. A number of shipping companies have actually been given notices to remove the derelict ships

However, he says there have been no reports of environmental degradation due to the derelict ships.