Operating on Loss
Fuel Price Hike Hits CIP Boat Transport Operators
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
NOT just taxi and bus services, but ‘the boat business operation’ is also facing a negative impact due to the recent sky-rocketing price of fuel.
Central Islands Province (CIP) Interim Chairman of the Tulaghi Outboard Motors (OBMs) Association Mr Reagan Nofo sharing to Sunday Isles this morning said the current increase of fuel price at $80 a Gallon in Honiara is causing ‘a loss’ for boat operations.
That is the price for a gallon of Petrol in Honiara alone. For fuel prices from provinces that will be more expensive. Mr Nofo said the current sea fares charged and a number of passengers usually travelled with on OBM transport services do not meet expenses.
“Due to the fuel price rise, transport operation will every expensive for travelling both-ways [Tulaghi-Honiara-Tulaghi]. we’ll now have to travel only with a low number of passengers,” said Nofo.
“1 Gallon of fuel now costs $80 at Honiara and at Tulaghi where we usually purchase fuel it is $105 for 1 Gallon.
“With the 40 horse-powered engines mostly used here for boat transport services, we usually use around 6 Gallons of fuel for one-way when the boat is not heavily loaded, depending on the loading. If the boat is loaded a bit heavy then it will be more than 6 Gallons, let us say around 8 Gallons for one-way of travelling.
“The maximum of passengers travelled with usually depends on the weather. If the weather is fine we can take 10 people, but if the weather is bad then we will only limit the number of passengers to 5 or 6.
“Like bus and taxi services, we boat operators are also complaining about this fuel price situation experienced.”
The Interim Chairman said the boat association at Tulaghi is now planning to meet by the end of this month in order to discuss the amount of passenger sea fare charged.
“So the boat association at Tulaghi has planned to meet in order to discuss the amount of passenger sea fare as the current costs of fuel is too much for our daily operations.
“On June 1 we had increased the passenger fare from $100 to $150 one-way when the fuel price increased to $70 for a Gallon then. These are the boats operating from the Haleta to Haghalu zones at Central Ngella.
“But now having the fuel further increasing, this $150 amount of fare is not even enough to cover for costs. We are only operating on loss,” said Nofo.
Boat operators from other islands and provinces travelling to Honiara are also understood to be facing the same impact from the hike in fuel price.
The boat operators are calling for responsible authorities to look into the fuel price increase situation they are facing in daily operations in order to help them address it with the best possible solutions.
A Tourism Operator and also a passenger boat operator from CIP, Mr Richard Sapia sharing the same sentiment said if fuel price continues to increase then boat transport operations in the country will be facing a big challenge.
