Dredging and civil construction company Hall Pacific is celebrating 10 years of operation in Fiji this year, having worked with the Fiji Government and various local communities over the past decade to lessen the impacts of river flooding and improve tourism infrastructure across the country.
Hall Pacific Managing Director Cameron Hall said the 10-year anniversary marked an important milestone for the company, which employs an average of 20 Fijians to work on its projects each year.
“Since delivering our first river dredging contract in Fiji in 2006, we have gone on to successfully carry out a range flood mitigation and land reclamation works around Fiji as well as dredging a number of shipping channels and berths,” Mr Hall said.
“We pride ourselves on working closely with local communities and providing employment opportunities to the Fijian people, having trained numerous locals as dredge operators, engineers and deck hands over the years. In fact, our latest project was driven by a predominantly Fijian crew as well as two expatriates who reside permanently in Fiji.”
Mr Hall said in recent years, Hall Pacific had removed excess sediment from the Nadi River to reduce the risk of flooding posed by tropical rains and cyclones, and also carried out the deepening and extension of the Port Denarau Marina shipping channel to allow larger cruise vessels to service the popular tourist hub.
“We have also just wrapped up flood mitigation works in the agricultural town of Ba, which will assist in saving lives and also reducing the damage to infrastructure and crops that is often caused by severe flooding during the wet season,” Mr Hall said.
“In addition, our team has recently been working on repairing and extending the Nabouwalu Jetty, which provides a key transportation link between Vanua Levu and Viti Levu.
“Our marine capabilities have allowed us to isolate the jetty and install a steel deck over the existing ramp to prevent failure of the underlying concrete structure. We have also dredged the seabed, which will provide sufficient depth for shipping movements across all tides.”
Mr Hall said Hall Pacific looked forward to continuing to engage with Fijian communities and further expanding its presence in the Pacific Islands.
“With many Pacific Island nations facing the serious threat of coastal erosion and flooding as a result of climate change, we have recently begun working closely with island nations like Tuvalu to ensure their communities are resilient against these issues, and will continue to do so in the future,” Mr Hall said.
“At present, we have an office in Fiji as well as a range of dredges and support equipment such as excavators, dozers and trucks stationed in the Pacific Islands, allowing us to mobilise our team promptly and tackle climate change adaptation projects without delay.”
Hall Pacific is an Australian-owned company that services the Pacific Islands.
