The Friendly Island Shipping Agency (FISA) has suspended its MV ʻOtu Angaʻofa ferry inter-island services after it found the rudder needed replacement.
This means the company’s services to the outer islands face difficulties in the next three months before the problem can only be fixed in Fiji in September, FISA said.
The shipping company has arranged for the MV Niuvakai to take over the services but FISA said the vessel has only 12 seats and it does not have a license to carry passengers.
It said the seats in the commercial vessel were only for those who wanted to travel with their cargoes and shipments to the outer islands.
FISA said the MV ‘Otu Anga’ofa can still operate on its current condition but its insurance company did not allow any further operation until the new rudder arrives from Japan.
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