THE lack of interest in the tender from the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia is understandable. It would appear from the tender details that SCP may have over-compensated for their recent history by seeking a vessel that's unlikely to be available anywhere in our region and at an affordable price for a short lease. Given that this is only temporary, a vessel of the description that we've seen from the tender, if found, is likely to be unaffordable for many passengers and may require taxpayer subsidies. If you build in costing around a vessel with 400 maximum capacity, based on a 10 day turn-around covering Ha'apai and Vava'u only, the vessel will be sailing with less than 50% loading for most of it's journeys and the 400 ton maximum for cargo is also likely to be under-utilised to the same extent. If it's sailing schedule is to be based on sailing only when its capacity is reached, it will defeat its purpose of providing a regular service when people need it. It would certainly be uneconomic for such a large vessel to make regular trips to the Niuas whose needs are a more of a regular passenger oriented service.
The temporary solution could lie in say two smaller passenger vessels of very similar in size to the Pulupaki to cater largely for the regular movement of people and personal effects. The larger loading demands can be met temporarily by using the cargo carrying vessels that has called on Vava'u and Ha'apai from New Zealand to move the bulk cargo over this period on a more regular interval until the new Olovaha arrives. The smaller vessels can also resort to more sailings as needed.
Not only are we more likely to see smaller vessels of this type available for lease in our region but through this we should be able to have the options of the Ha'apai-Vava'u routes being serviced with passenger-friendly stop-overs in the smaller islands along the way but having more than one vessel would enable a less costly service to the Niuas as needed without disruption to the more regular routes. My guess is that when loadings are regularly at capacity, the economics for the service will be more affordable for both paying customer and the service provider.
It could be that having a smaller vessel to compliment Pulupaki's capacity will mean that we may have a ferry service this side of Christmas.
The SCP may have done well to learn some very tough lessons lately but it shouldn't completely lose it's head in the process.
