THE Ministry of Infrastructure Development has released details of Constituencies that have bought ships with funding from the controversial shipping grants.
Permanent Secretary, Stephen Maesiola, released the details in response to a question submitted to the recent Government weekly news conference.
According to Mr Maesiola, of the 14 Constituencies on the list, only nine (9) have ships that are operational. One Constituency in the list of nine listed as “operational) received shipping grants twice, according to the details released by MID.
Of the 14 two are listed as “not operational”.
The Constituencies that have ships that are operational are:
Vatud Constituency (Temotu Province);
Ulawa/Ugi Constituency;
East Kwaio Constituency (Malaita Province);
West Are’Are Constituency;
Renbel Constituency;
Kia Hograno Constituency (Isabel Province);
Savo/Russell Constituency (Central Province); and
Shortlands Constituency (Western Province)
South Guadalcanal Constituency received shipping grants twice – but no vessel was bought with the first grants. The Constituency bought a vessel under the second grants. That vessel is operational, Maesiola said.
Temotu Provincial Government too had received a shipping grant, but is yet to procure a vessel. North New Georgia Constituency had procured a vessel, but it is not operational.
Small Malaita Constituency’s vessel is “not operational”, according to Mr Maesiola. Malaita Outer Islands is the other Constituency which bought a ship but it never made it to Honiara.
The ship ran aground in Fiji on its way from Tonga to Solomon Islands.
These are the vessels procured from the National Transport Initiative Grant that I am aware of since I was posted to the Ministry in 2018,” Mr Maesiola said.
By Alfred Sasako
