THE Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) says Patterson Brothers Shipping Ltd has “a misguided view of its rights in law” over the ownership of the Ellington Wharf in Rakiraki.
The FRA had issued a final notice to Patterson shipping to vacate the wharf by 8am yesterday.
“The obstruction to the public and other service providers on Ellington Wharf has been resolved for now but Patterson’s real issue is ownership of the RORO (roll on roll off) ramp and what rights (if any) Patterson’s has over this ramp,” said FRA chief executive officer Jonathan Moore.
Mr Moore said the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji had also sent a notice to Patterson Shipping on Tuesday.
He said ownership of the facility was being disputed by Patterson shipping.
“Rather than usurping ownership of the ramp or demanding exclusive use, the correct thing for Patterson to have done would have been to file a claim for compensation with the FRA to recover any funds it injected in repairing the ramp. We believe this may be Patterson’s next step.”
Patterson Shipping said it would file a legal challenge on the ownership of the wharf.
The lawyer for Patterson shipping, Simione Valenitabua, said the Patterson boat was pulled out “in the normal course of their route obligations to Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji”.
“Patterson was given a notice by MSAF which it chooses to respect in order to protect the licence of its captain, officers and crew,” Mr Valenitabua said.
He said the FRA notice had nothing to do with Patterson Brothers Shipping Ltd pulling out of the wharf.
