New Southern Pearl in Operation, to be Officially Launched Later
Newly-built ship Southern Pearl classified carrying cargo hazard D vessel is in operation.
Local ship agent Kenua Shipping Company operations manager Madhulesh Lakhan said although the ship is already in operation, it will be officially launched in the middle of next month in Suva.
He said the vessel was on its third voyage to Funafuti this week and would return to the Suva port on Saturday, November 10.
“The vessels official launching will be in middle of November,” Mr Lakhan said.
“The vessel is a brand new, which is made in China, and it arrived in Suva on October 20.
“The vessel had made its first trip from China to Lautoka, to Suva then to the South Pacific destinations.
“The vessel can cater for 23 crew members and is registered in Singapore.”
The vessel being a cargo hazard D vessel means substances D which have been evaluated and found to fall outside category X, Y or Z.
Mr Lakhan said hazard D was considered to present no harm to marine resources, human health, amenities or other legitimate uses of the sea when discharged into the sea from tank cleaning of de-ballasting operations.
“The discharge of bilge or ballast water or other residues or mixtures containing these substances are not subject to any requirements of Marpol Annex II.”
It was announced in March last year that the old MV Southern Pearl was going to be replaced by a brand-new vessel.
The naming ceremony of Southern Pearl took place at the Kouan Shipyard in China on August 14, 2018.
The vessel is the first to be owned by the Pacific Direct Line (PDL) International Pte Limited.
Southern Pearl was ordered in 2016, it has a length of 110 metres and a width of 22.3 metres.
PDL is committed to Fiji through its investment in Transam.
This includes its recent investment in Williams & Gosling and its choice of Fiji as its major hub location for its services throughout the Pacific.
With seven vessels calling though Fiji on regular liner services, PDL has more than 250 ship calls per annum in Fiji, the most of any shipping line in the region.
