By Alfred Sasako
A Choiseul businessman has called on authorities to open up for other commercial shipping services, saying Lauru shipping can no longer keep up with demands for regular shipping services between the Province and Honiara.
“Our copra and cocoa productions have suffered setbacks since two of Lauru Shipping’s boats have had engine problems. Both ships are sitting here in Choiseul for quite some time now with no indications when they might be back in service.
“That is really affecting us in a bad way,” the man who spoke on anonymity told Island Sun on the weekend.
“The only other boat that Lauru Shipping operates does not have the capacity to cater for the volume of copra and cocoa we produce on Choiseul. This is why I am calling on appropriate authorities to do something about the shipping service to the Province,” the man said.
He said the Choiseul Provincial government should look into the matter and do something about the situation.
“As businessmen and women, we just cannot sit back here and wait. For us, time is money and money is time. Therefore as taxpayers, we are calling on the Provincial Government and Lauru Shipping to come out and tell us what they are planning to do about the urgent need for shipping services.
“There are plenty of shipping companies operated by Solomon Islanders that would be willing to move in immediately,” the businessman said.
He said without shipping a lot of hard work by ordinary men and women in doing businesses would be pointless.
“I am appealing to them to please do something about the shipping service to Choiseul,” he said.
