A loss of $4 million and overwhelmed by struggles has forced local passenger shipping giants to downsize operations — sending off their first of three vessels to the scrap yard.
An emotional day for Goundar Shipping Service Ltd managing director George Goundar as he bade farewell to the Lomaiviti Princess V at the Mua-i-Walu wharf yesterday.
Mr Goundar says the move was vital to the keeping the company afloat and will replace his bigger vessels with smaller ones.
“The selling of Lomaiviti Princess V and two others including Lomaiviti Princess I and Lomaiviti Princess III is because of the increase in fuel prices,” he said.
“This has led to the downsizing to smaller vessels.
These big ships are so expensive and consume a lot of fuel and the smaller ones are faster and more economical to run and they can go where these big ships can’t go.
“We burn seven million litres of fuel a year and that’s a very huge amount. The Government don’t realise that shipping is the only industry that ran through the COVID times and I took a big loss, $4 million loss. With the fuel prices going up we asked for a concession on ropes, paints and other things.
“They look at me as if I’m a single person making noise, but I’m fighting for the interests to survive.
“They look at Goundar Shipping as twelve vessels and we’re doing well, but we’re still struggling going through tough times. But the faith I have in the Almighty Lord is giving me the strength to survive in this market.
“I feel sorry for the young generation that’s coming up. Once we start losing these big ships the seafarers school also suffers.
“For young people wanting to become seafarers where will they get their sea time. Those are the things that make it very emotional for me. Mr Goundar said it was also an emotional time to watch his vessel sail off for the last time — something he never thought would happen.
“It’s a sad day for GSSL to let a vessel go after working on it for four years,” an emotional Mr Goundar said struggling to get the words out his mouth.
“It’s very emotional for us and the company, but time has changed now and it’s time for us to start moving onto smaller ships.”
“Lomaiviti Princess III is the next ship that will be leaving and Lomaiviti Princess I will be following, so that’s three large ships that will leave our coast.”
The Lomaiviti Princess V departed Fiji waters for India with a total of 14 seafarers led by Captain Louis Madden.
“This is the first time for our local seafarers to be taking a ship out of Fiji,” said a young Captain Louis Madden.
“We’ve done deliveries for George Goundar before. These men maybe young, but they are all experienced.”
Captain Madden and his men would be going on a 40 days trip.
“We will stop over at Singapore for about a day for bunkering and fueling and then make our way to India. It (Lomaiviti Princess V) was bought by a company in India and will be scrapped. They will cut the ship up, melt the steel and recycle so that they can make other things.”
The Lomaiviti Princess V is 130 metres long and weighs over 5000 tonnes. Questions sent to the Minister of Transport for comments remained unanswered when this publication went to press.
