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A new wharf that has opened on Vanuatu's Espiritu Santo is expected to boost economic activities on the island.
The wharf will not only see larger and cruise ships visiting Santo, but container and cargo ships berthing at the wharf.
Espiritu Santo Tourist Association co-chairman, Calvin Rhodes told Radio New Zealand, it is also the customs wharf so it is actually designed for imports and exports coming into Santo.
“So it is there, when a cruise ship is not in, it's there for a container ship, cargo ships for copra, kava, cacao and anything that actually leaves the island.”
“It gives the opportunity that you can tie up two cargo ships at any one time. So getting in and out there is no waiting for the cargo liners, and the facility is there to both load and unload at the same time - it makes it a far more user friendly port that can accommodate more cargo ships going in and hopefully more going out,” Rhodes said.
The wharf at Luganville is 360 metres long and is thought to be the longest in the Pacific.
Built by a Chinese company it cost $US86 million dollars which has been covered by a soft loan from China's EXIM Bank.
Rhodes said Santo is growing very well at the moment.
“Santo has not got a huge tourism industry compared to Port Vila which is a port of call for most people who are looking at Vanuatu - we are still quite unknown as a hidden gem of Vanuatu. The wharf itself will help the long-term visitors as well, because I think there is a good percentage of around 3 or 4% cruise passengers that look at day trips to cruise ship destinations and then book another holiday to fly into any of the islands that they have visited. So the wharf facility is something good for tourism in general, which is very important to the tourism association and the local operators,” Rhodes said.
