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A privately-owned vessel ran aground off the island of Viwa in Fiji’s northwestern Yasawa group while carrying 16 government workers on their way to the island to build a nurses’ quarters.
The Ba Waqa ran aground on the passageway to Viwa between four and five o’clock this morning, said Ministry of Transport spokeswoman Sainiana Waqainabete.
She said the Ba Waqa was a landing vessel and was carrying 25 people, including nine crew members.
It had well below the maximum 120 people allowed on board, she said.
“There’s no explanation yet to what happened. The captain and crew are still on Viwa and once repairs have been carried out, the vessel will make its way back to Lautoka.
“We will then be able to conduct a full investigation. The captain and crew will be interviewed,” Waqainabete told FijiLive.
She confirmed that everyone on board was safe and got off on to dinghies after the vessel ran aground.
“They were visited by people fom Viwa island who helped them to land.”
The vessel was cleared by the Fiji Islands Maritime and Safety Administration (FIMSA) and left the Lautoka wharf at 1.30am today.
“The vessel went in good condition and was fully compliant with everything that it needed,” Waqainabete said.
She said the vessel used to be owned by government but had been sold to the Lautoka-based Western Shipping Company (Fiji) Ltd.
Company officials could not be reached for comment.
