A tour operator in Vanuatu says an urgent upgrade of the country's wharves is achievable.
The comment from Adventures in Paradise follows an appeal by the cruise ship operator Carnival Australia for the government to improve wharf facilities and update its underwater maps so large vessels can berth.
The Managing director of Adventures in Paradise, Adrian Mooney, says the upgrades are vital and achievable through foreign aid funding.
"The wharves are in a bad state of repair at the moment, in particular bollards are urgently needed in Port Vila and in Luganville. Basically due to the lack of maintenance, they haven't been upgraded for sometime and overtime the ships are getting larger and their requirements for wharfing needs the additional bollards just to accommodate the length of the ships and the height and the size."
Adrian Mooney says a failure to upgrade the wharves can cripple the cruise ship industry in Vanuatu.
