LC Temotu to sail home once paperwork is finalized

By Ian Kaukui

The newly purchased Landing Craft for Temotu province ‘LC Temotu’ is expected to sail from Indonesia to Solomon Islands once all paperwork is completed.

All crews are now preparing to accompany the landing craft home once all the paperwork is finalized this week.

Deputy Secretary of the Temotu province Elvis Kekengolo said upon its arrival, it will begin its first voyage to any of the nearby provinces before its maiden trip to Temotu province. 

Premier of Temotu province, Stanley Tehi said the ship was purchased with funding support from the government and the People’s Republic of China.  

He said this is just a start as his government will later look at purchasing the required passenger and cargo boat.

For the past 5 to 10 years, the people from Temotu have been denied to travel home or come to Honiara to do their businesses because of poor shipping services to and fro the province.

The most affected ones are teachers, students and farmers who wanted to transport their products to the capital for their market.

Students from Temotu province who have sat their national exams and passed to other provincial schools were denied as a result of lack of shipping services. 

The only means of transportation to the province is by air via Solomon Airline but for middle and low income earners, this is quite expensive.

Once all is done, the landing craft will then go through the required legal processes before servicing the province.

Temotu province once owned a passenger and cargo vessel called M.V Temotu which only served for several years.

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