Coastal shipping operators in Vanuatu have reacted to the high cost of slipping their vessels for out of water maintenance and the recent closure of the Nicon Shipyard by using innovative techniques.
The new owner of Touaraken III (ex MV Renaissance) Willie Naripo, with the assistance of Taiford Marine has used a system of inflatable rubber tubes to lift his vessel for hull and propeller shaft repairs.
This operation is being carried out at Pontoon Bay, Port Vila. Pontoon Bay is currently the temporary site for coastal ships and landing craft to load and unload their cargoes whilst the new coastal shipping wharf is under construction.
The Vanuatu Shipping Act [Cap.53] Part 22, paragraph (1) specifically allows for a vessel to be beached for the purpose of inspection. “The licensing officer may order any vessel for which a safety certificate is required to be beached or slipped for the purpose of examining the under-water portion of the hull and the fittings thereof.” Whether or not this section of the shipping act extends to beaching boats for maintenance in conjunction with a safety inspection has not yet been tested.
Touaraken III, under previous ownership as MV Renaissance, sustained heavy damage after running aground on a reef over two years ago. Subsequently, the vessel’s operating company was placed in liquidation and the vessel was laid up pending sale. She has now been purchased by Vanuatu’s largest locally owned coastal shipping operator, Willie Naripo, with the intention to enter her into service again as a passenger vessel.
Almost a year ago to the day, attempts to carry out the same method of lifting the similar sized passenger vessel Big Sista were thwarted when local business owners and residents made complaints to various authorities. A request for a statement from the original complainant was met with a refusal to comment.
Photo supplied: Touaraken III