Lapetasi wharf construction underway

Construction work on the Lapetasi International Multipurpose Wharf Development Project has commenced on September 1.

This is after the Government of Vanuatu and Ifira Ports Development Services (IPDS) signed the contract with the main contractor, Toa Corporation of Japan on May 22, 2015, the General Manager of IPDS, Russell Mitchell said in an interview with Kizzy Kalsakau on 96 Buzz FM.

Mitchell said that immediately following the groundbreaking ceremony for the project early last month, on site clearing of the construction site started during which they also removed and decommissioned Star Wharf. So the temporary domestic wharf is also now in operation.

“We’re at the moment preparing the area by demolishing the existing buildings. The IPDS or IWS, IGS and ITL group of companies will be dispersed in the next month or two. The administration building at Star Wharf will be demolished on or around October 12,” he told Kalsakau.

During the next 18 months to two years when the construction work will take place and a new administration building constructed, they will take up administrative offices and commercial offices in the former Immigration Department offices opposite the French Embassy in Port Vila. Their move to the temporary offices will be announced through the media when they will commence, but Mitchell said it will be around October 1 or a little bit earlier.

The IPDS General Manager and the operational staff will move to a small blue building at the terminal area which they will be temporarily until a new administration building is built and they’ll all move in about 18 months to two years’ time into the new administration building.

“So construction is underway. Presently, we have a New Zealand company subcontracted to do geo-technical surveys and that’s establishing what earth is underneath the current establishment, down to approximately 30 meters because this is the depth that they’ll be driving some of the main piles that will be holding up the wharf and part of the infrastructure,” Mitchell told 96 Buzz FM.

He said they are coordinating with the main construction contractor Toa Corporation and working closely with them because they still have to use the site as they got nowhere else to put the containers. This is to ensure they do not cause any delays or to minimize the delays in the construction. And they still operate to ensure they get the economic benefit for Port Vila and Vanuatu.

Toa Corporation has subcontracted a lot of the work. The main sub-contractor is Fletchers of New Zealand.

“Under the contract we obviously need to bring in high level of expertise. This is a 100 million dollar (Vt10 billion) project and as a result there’s a requirement to make sure that we get it right and get it right the first time. But a large proportion and significantly large proportion will be ni-Vanuatu labor to carry out all the work that we’re doing here under the subcontractors and main contractor,” the IPDS GM concluded.