An order has been made for the removal of vessels that are stranded or have sunk in Port Vila.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jay Ngwele wrote to the Habour Master and Operations Manager of Ports and Habour Department instructing the department to make the order.
In his letter sent to the senior government officials on Tuesday, Minister Ngwele stated, “It is one of the main priorities of the current Government to make sure that all ports must be clean and cleared from stranded or sunk vessels as set out in Port Act (CAP 26) and Maritime Sector Regulatory Act No. 26 or 2016.
“To that end, as Minister responsible for Maritime Affairs, I hereby instruct you to make an Order pursuant to section 19 of Ports Act (CAP 26) to all ship owners to remove their vessels stranded or sunk in the port of Port Vila in (sic) the island of Efate, port of Luganville in the island of Espiritu Santo and; including other ports within the islands of Vanuatu, for a period of 60 days.
“Should the ship owners fail to comply with this Order, the Harbour Master may direct the removal of such vessel at the expense of the owner,” the Minister of Public Utilities stated in his letter.