IT is looking to be a busy year for the floating dry dock owned by Industrial and Marine Engineering Ltd (IMEL).
It was a wonder when the floating dock “Naiqasiqasi” arrived in Fiji in March 2007 with people making trips to see the floating dry dock in the Suva Harbour. It was a first for the nation and was an indicator things were going to change for the local shipping industry.
This year, the floating dry dock has slipped 12 vessels for repair and maintenance plus two ferries, namely the MV Altruism and MV Sinu-i-Wasa.
IMEL operations manager Inoke Seru said bookings were slowly coming in but all hands were for the time being tied up on the MV Endeavour.
“The Captain Cook’s cruises ship is our current project and because of that ship, it is all hands on deck,” Mr Seru said. “This means that we are at full occupancy in regards to employment and this is good for the industry.
“It is the effort of our hardworking team who work overtime to meet the demand by vessel owners.”
Mr Seru said the small cruise ship with 130 passenger capacity would undergo normal maintenance work and refitting of the whole vessel.
Mr Seru said the floating dry dock was also being used by ships from other countries as well.
“We get orders from Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati and there are other islands too.
“I guess for the region, being Fiji makes it a very central location and also the cost of doing business with us is very reasonable,” he added.
“We get patrol boats from all of these countries and the numbers are growing. So I think we are looking forward to a busy year.”
Things have not been all that jolly for IMEL and the Naiqasiqasi. An effort by the company to paint the floating dry dock near Lami was protested by residents who voiced the environmental impact of the work.
Mr Seru said to ensure minimum effect on the environment, the floating dry dock was then towed to Lautoka.
IMEL is a division of Carpenters Fiji Ltd.
