The director of Goundar Shipping Limited, George Goundar, has refused to comment on one of its vessels, MV Lomaiviti Princess VII (MV LPVII), running aground near Moala Island on Wednesday evening.

His refusal follows a statement released by the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) yesterday assuring the public about the safety of the passengers on board the vessel.

This masthead reached out to Mr Goundar for a comment about the incident, however his response was, “I have nothing to say to you, bye.” 

MSAF confirmed the MV LPVII was carrying about 245 passengers and 33 crew members when she ran aground on the Cakova Reef near Moala Island, Lau, at about 7.06pm on Wednesday.

MSAF said all passengers have been safely transferred to a second vessel dispatched by the shipping company.

“While the vessel has run aground, there has been no breach of the hull, and no water ingress has been reported,” MSAF said.

“We have taken immediate steps to ensure that the situation remains under control, and efforts to safely resolve the incident are ongoing. Monitoring of the affected marine environment is also priority.”

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