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Sri Lankan conglomerate responsible for management and operation of Fiji Ports Corporation
Aitken Spence, the Sri Lankan global maritime logistics company, has today taken over the managerial and operational responsibilities at the Fiji Ports Corporation.
As part of a Private Public Partnership (PPP), which was signed by the respective parties earlier this year, Aitken Spence will be in charge of both the Suvas Kings and Lautoka ports, Fiji’s largest wharves, according to the Fiji Times.
Speaking to reporters at an official ceremony at the Suvas Kings Wharf earlier today, Aitken Spence chairman Dr Parakrama Dissanayake said that the partnership will promote best global practices and help Fiji achieve to become a driving force in the South Pacific’s shipping sector.
Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, speaking in May, said that the PPP was vital to help the ports of Suva and Lautoka “run as smoothly and efficiently as possible” and in helping to ensure that “trade runs more freely and more cheaply for the benefit of all Fijians”. The Prime Minister also signalled that the reforms could produce right sizing in the short term but the long-term effect would be more jobs and more investment as the cost of doing business came down.
Aitken Spence will take control of the daily business of the Fiji Ports Corporation for a 15-year period.