Dozens of Abandoned Shipwrecks Pose Safety Risks in Fiji

A fire incident this week onboard a Chinese fishing vessel, Dae Jin, while berthed at Suva Harbor, Fiji has rekindled concerns on marine safety in the country. The 24-year-old Fiji flagged longliner is said to had just completed offloading its catch when the fire started in the engine room. Twelve crewmembers, including Chinese and Indonesian nationals were able to escape, although some reported minor injuries. Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) confirmed the incident and said an investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the fire. Fiji Ports Authority also dispatched a tug to tow the burnt vessel out of the port.

However, this incident comes hot on the heels of a growing push to clean up dozens of fishing shipwrecks abandoned near Suva Harbor. As operational costs for the fishing industry rise in the Pacific region, some companies are increasingly abandoning vessels in remote islands. In the case of Fiji, 25 vessels, mostly Chinese-owned, are now abandoned near Suva Harbor. This poses a significant environmental threat as well as a navigation risk to other passing vessels.

“The vessels started stacking up in the harbor during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the owners came forward and helped in the clean-up process. That is why the number has dropped from 44 to 25. For the remaining wrecks, owners have refused to comply with removal notices,” MSAF CEO Joeli Cawaki told BenarNews.

In addition, some of the abandoned vessels could have been illegally operating without licenses and salvage coverage, leaving the entire disposal and clean-up costs to local authorities. MSAF estimates that it requires $170,000 to dispose of all shipwrecks abandoned off Fiji.

With an expansive EEZ and an influx of foreign-owned fishing vessels (some operating without licenses), Fiji is likely to deal with more cases of abandoned vessels in future. Unfortunately, the country is yet to ratify the Nairobi Convention on the Removal of Wrecks. The convention, which was adopted in 2007 and came into force in 2015, provides a legal basis for states to remove shipwrecks that have potential threats to safety of lives, goods and the marine environment. The convention makes ship-owners financially liable for costs of wreck removal. If ratified by Pacific Island countries such as Fiji, it could give an impetus to their marine debris removal programs. So far, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Nauru are signatories to the convention.