NIVAGA III arrived into Suva on January 23 with Tuvalu students on board eight days after the 2019 Fijian academic year started on January 17.

Deputy High Commissioner of Tuvalu to Fiji, Emma Lauti said the vessel usually comes to Fiji at the beginning of the academic year bringing in high school and tertiary students.

“The main purpose of the vessel is to bring the students to Fiji to further their education,” Ms Lauti said.

“We generally prioritise the stu­dents first for such trip for Fiji from Tuvalu because some other passen­gers just want to accompany the students while others come and do their personal business here like shopping or whatever they want to do before returning to Tuvalu,” she said.

“NIVAGA III can CARRY up to 200 passengers.

“The vessel usually only comes to Fiji; it does not go to any other Pa­cific Island.

“Last year the vessel went to the Cook Islands after it was chartered by the Cook islanders.”

It is a passenger and cargo carrier vessel.

“We do not bring any cargo into Fiji; we only take cargo back home to Tuvalu. We usually buy items­from Fiji, there are private busi­nesses to Tuvalu that usually buy food like taro and cassava and other stuff from here.

“The vessel usually comes to Fiji after two to three months but if there is a demand then it comes in frequently.

‘For example if a group from Tuva­lu wants to go to New Zealand they charter the vessel to Fiji and then go by plane from here to New Zealand.

“Apart from students, tourists and other passengers the vessel some­times brings in referral patients from Tuvalu.

The other vessel NIVAGA II has been purchased by a Kiribati com­pany and it is now in Kiribati.

NIVAGA III departed for Tuvalu on January 25 for Kioa Island off Vanua Levu to pick up Tuvalu Je­hovah’s Witness Church members who came last year.