Patterson Brothers Shipping Company Limited will resume it’s daily inter-island ferry services to Nabouwalu Wharf from Ellington Wharf, Rakiraki today.

The inter-island ferry services from Ellington Wharf had been halted for years now since the wharf was once managed by the Fiji Sugar Corporation.

It was used by foreign vessels to load sugar that was produced by the Penang Sugar Mill in Rakiraki.

The Patterson Brothers Shipping Company Limited, regional staff, Patricia McKee, said passengers would board buses from Lautoka and travel to Ellington starting today.

“The first departure from the Ellington Wharf will have bus full of passengers and deck loaded with vehicles on MV Spirit of Love,” Ms McKee stated.

“The bus will start pick-ups at 4:30 am from Lautoka and head down to Ellington,” she added.

She added the same bus will be delivering services in Vanua Levu route.

The bus will be transporting passengers from Nabouwalu to Labasa.

“The passengers need not remove their luggage anymore,” she said.

“We are happy to resume services as this will be more convenient to the travelers on a short span of time.”

“Otherwise the travellers used to travel to Natovi jetty overnight for over seven hours to travel to Vanua Levu.”

Ms McKee also said this service was much awaited by the customers.

This new route would provide direct services to the passengers travelling from Viti Levu to Vanua Levu.

In the 1980s Patterson Brothers Shipping Company Limited used their inter-island ferries MV Ovalau, MV Jubilee and MV Princess Ashika to provide daily service from the Ellington Wharf.

EDITED BY: KATHRIN KRISHNA

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