DailyPost Administrator posted on February 01, 2010 12:03
Seafarers facing difficulties navigating their way safely into port in Port Vila will soon breathe a sigh of relief when the Pango lighthouse is operational by the end of February.
The current malfunctioning lighthouse had been out of order for some time after being erected after cyclone Uma in 1987.
There was a time in the Condominium days when lighthouses were landmarks of many islands of Vanuatu. Uma damaged the majority.
A local company is constructing the Pango lighthouse. It will stand 15-metres high (concrete) with an extra 7-metre aluminum tower yet to be mounted on top of the concrete structure.
Director for Ports and Marine Morris Kaloran said upon its completion more vessels will be attracted to berth safely in Port Vila at night.
“This is a popular route for many ships, both international and local.
“But for many new captains on big ships they have had to wait till day break or estimate the time of their arrival in Port Vila in daylight to enter our harbour.
“Small ships can also look at the lighthouse, cross-check their charts and estimate the remaining distance they have before reaching port.”
The Peter Lesly constructions have been painstakingly constructing the concrete tower since January 2009. And due to budget constraints, isolation and lack of technology the work has been a slow but gradual process.
In the absence of proper machinery to lift building materials the contractors relied on their local expertise to make the construction of the 15-metre tower possible.
For instance Mr Lesly explained that no scaffolds were used.
We witnessed how a workman on the very top of the tower lowered a pulley to the ground where another workman tied a block at a time onto the pulley before it was pulled up.
The government has invested Vt50 million into navigational aids, in particular lights to lead ships safely into harbour and the Pango point lighthouse bears testimony to this.
There are a number of lighthouses in Vanuatu but it could not be confirmed if they were all active. On Santo: (I) Palekula Point (II) Tutuba Island (III) Million Dollar Point and Aore Island
And on Epi there is the Cape Foreland and on Efate, the one on Eretoka/Hat Island has not functioned since the 1970s.
- Jane Joshua