port project
p. 43 · Read in the full issue
More ADB funds for Vanuatu port project
AN additional SUS 3.4 million is to be made available by the Asian Devel opment Bank for the completion of the Santo Port project in Vanuatu. The extra loan money will meet increases in the cost of the project, now estimated at 5U510.53 million.
Santo Port, which handles about 80 per cent of Vanuatu’s exports and 30 per cent of imports, is to get a new 130-metre earthquake-resistant wharf and other facilities.
The supplementary loan will cover the cost overrun caused by weak soil strata discovered last year, and piles are now having to be drilled deeper than orig inally planned.
The new wharf has high priority under Vanuatu’s Second National Develop ment Plan (1987-1991). The present wharf has been extensively damaged by earthquakes and has begun to collapse.
The replacement structure will allow overseas ships to handle cargo more economically and efficiently, with the removal of lighterage costs allowing shorter port calls. □