Blue Lagoon

$16m plan for Blue Lagoon

THE Board of Directors of Fiji’s Blue Lagoon Cruises Limited has approved an ambitious Fsl6 mil

lion five-year development programme

which includes the construction of three new vessels, the establishment of a new

ly-equipped marine engineering work

shop and training facility, the construc

tion of a new Lautoka headquarters complex, a major island development and diversification into a manufacturing industry which is expected to create new

local employment.

Blue Lagoon, which last year announced an after tax profit of about F$L5 million, has almost completed a $1 million refurbishing programme on its existing fleet of six cruise ships. Com pany chairman David Wilson sees the five-year programme as one which re flects the company’s confidence in the future of Fiji’s tourism industry, one of the country’s two major foreign income earners. “The programme is one of the most significant undertaken by a Fiji based company, and is possibly the largest to date, the decision to proceed

immediately was

positively influenced

by the Government’s investment incen tives,” he said.

The main ingre dient of the prog ramme is the com pany’s commitment to build three new vessels at the Fiji

Government ship

yard in Suva which has built six vessels for Blue Lagoon Cruises in the past 15 years.

“Skills at the Fiji

Government ship

yard have steadily improved over the years and the yard certainly has the capacity to construct vessels to internation al standards at very competitive rates,”

Wilson said.

By 1995 Blue La goon planned to operate seven vessels (including the three new ships) on four

day “Popular

Cruises”, and four and seven-dav “Club

Cruises”. This would increase the com pany’s capacity by almost 50 per cent to approximately 30,000 cruise berths per year. In addition to its cruise activities the company planned to convert at least one of its existing 39-metre vessels into a “live-aboard” dive ship and acquire a luxury charter yacht for private cruise charters. Construction of the first of the new vessels is scheduled to start at the Suva shipyard by June 1991.

The new vessels, designed by Suva marine architect Colin Dunlop & Associ ates, have very sleek lines and include many modern sophisticated features.

“All cabins are outboard and of the same size, cabin design and furnishings will resemble first-class hotel rooms each with a modern ensuite pre-moulded fib reglass bathroom,” Wilson said. “Each cabin will feature a Queensize bed or two singles or, if required three singles.”

As part of Blue Lagoon’s development programme the company planned to

establish a fibreglass manufacturing

plant, which would not only produce moulded bathrooms for the new vessels but sailboards, canoes, and other waters port equipment for passenger use at the company’s island, Nanuya Lailai.

The development plan for the com pany’s 50-acre Nanuya Lailai property in the Yasawas is designed to provide first class on-shore facilities for Blue Lagoon cruise passengers while assuring that the environment is fully protected and able to cope with increased numbers of pas sengers visiting the island.

In accepting the preliminary design

submission of Sydney architect Colin Dalton & Associates, Blue Lagoon direc tors were insistent that facilities had to blend with the environment and the beach was to remain totally undisturbed and natural. The complex, to be com pleted within the year, will be of timber construction prefabricated in Lautoka in cluding wide verandahs, clubhouse bar, dining room, shore galley (kitchen), boutique, toilets, beach barbecue and a specially-constructed pit for the prepara tion of traditional Fijian-style feasts, the lovo.

The facility will be the central focus of the island beach party, one of the tradi tional highlights of a Blue Lagoon cruise. Large grassed areas and sand pathways will be laid providing passen gers with easy access to other parts of the present copra plantation, and an is land manager will be in residence to en sure that the natural environment is pro tected. About 30 tons of water will be pumped ashore each week from the company’s vessels and a sewerage treat ment plant is to be installed.

Included in the programme is an apprentice training scheme for the En gineering Division and expansion of the present training facilities for ships’ crews, deck officers, cooks, barmen and stewards.

Says Wilson: “The development prog ramme will be regularly reviewed and progress monitored.” Fiji has demons trated its capacity to cope with crisis and Blue Lagoon believes Fiji has a great fu ture in South West Pacific tourism and is confident our commitment will be justi fied. “If Fiji is to have any chance of

sustaining economic growth through

tourism during the next decade, the planning and commitment for imple mentation must be made now.” □

Blue Lagoon's Yasawa Princess: confidence in Fiji’s tourism industry.