Vanuatu shipping project launched

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced New Zealand is contributing $17 million toward improving shipping services and port facilities in Vanuatu.

The Vanuatu Inter-Island Shipping Support Project is a joint initiative between New Zealand, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Vanuatu.

“Shipping services are a lifeline in the Pacific, connecting communities, moving goods to market and supporting the tourism industry,” Mr McCully says.

The $34 million project will build or rebuild up to eight wharves and jetties across Vanuatu, establish a pilot programme to support shipping services to remote areas, and update Vanuatu’s maritime safety legislation and regulations.

“It will also allow for the construction of a new inter-island terminal in Port Vila to accommodate the growing volume of vessels and increasing tourist numbers,” Mr McCully says.

Mr McCully is currently leading the 2013 Pacific Mission to Papua New Guinea, the PNG Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.