Ship runs aground in Fiji - then its rescue vessel capsized
Photo:
Facebook/Goundar Shipping Limited
Fiji's Maritime Safety Authority has launched an investigation into Goundar Shipping Limited following two incidents involving its vessels.
Late last month, one vessel ran aground on the reef of Ono-i-Lau, and villagers had to step in to ferry stranded passengers to nearby islands using small boats.
On Monday
(2/6)
, the Lomaiviti Princess II was sent to assist with salvage operations of the grounded boat in Ono-i-Lau.
But the rescue boat never made it as it capsized in Suva Harbour, where it remains on its side.
The company's managing director George Goundar told local media "the mishap at Suva Harbour regarding the Lomaiviti Princess II was not the works of the company".
He directed all questions to the Fiji Ports Cooperation.
FBC News
has reached out to the ports cooperation for comment, but the outlet reported the Maritime Safety Authority has refused to comment further on the matter .
Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau said the matter is under investigation and a release will be issued after he receives an update on the matter.
On 29 May, the company posted on social media about the first incident, saying "GSL Management would like to sincerely thank the people of Ono-i-Lau for your tremendous support following the mishap".
"We acknowledge and appreciate your assistance in ensuring the passengers were safely brought ashore.
"The vessel is now en route to Suva."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Consumer watchdog warns Fijians about Auckland-based TikTokker's money-making scheme
The TikToker has enmassed tens of thousands of views on videos promoting "Livegood", a multi-level marketing company based in Florida that sells nutrition supplements. Photo: Screengrab / TikTok/@ Fiji's consumer watchdog is warning Fijians to stay away from a TikTok "business opportunity" run out of Auckland. The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCF) issued a warning on 11 July about a series of viral TikToks that encourage viewers to pay upfront "joining fees" with promises of instant earnings. The TikToker has amassed tens of thousands of views on videos promoting "LiveGood", a multi-level marketing (MLM) company based in Florida that sells nutrition supplements. "An individual named Ricky Nair LG, reportedly based in New Zealand, is actively promoting this scheme in Fiji. It promises high returns through 'matrix spillover' and encourages people to pay a US$49.95 joining fee and a monthly US$9.95 subscription." "It resembles a pyramid scheme, where earnings are based solely on recruiting others. It promises unrealistic weekly payments of up to $1000 for simply signing others up." Council CEO Seema Shandil told RNZ Pacific that they want to prevent Fijians from falling for online scams before too much money is lost. "We are trying to raise [awareness]...we have experienced it, and we know that eventually this is going to fall apart and people are going to lose heaps." LiveGood's MLM structure involves sellers who improve their ranking by selling products, getting customers to pay for a US$9.95 a month membership, and by recruiting, or "sponsoring", more sellers. The sellers earn a 2.5 percent commission on products sold, passing the rest of their revenue up to their sponsor, who would in turn pay a share up to theirs, and so on. In his videos, Nair often refers to "matrix spillover" as a means of earning income through Livegood. The "matrix" refers to a hierarchical structure of sellers, with their sponsors above them. Members may then recruit their own, or on their downline, that they did not personally recruit. Thus, the top seller is generating income without having to do anything. "How many he has recruited, I don't know, but he's using all these techniques to lure the vulnerable," Shandil said. While there are sellers based in New Zealand, it is unclear how popular LiveGood is among Kiwis. Shandil said that the fact NZ-based sellers are appealing to Fijians is a major red flag. "They are people sitting in New Zealand, and they are aggressively marketing it to the people of Fiji. So why do you think that doing that?" Auckland-based TikTokker Ricky Nair Photo: Screengrab / TikTok/@ When RNZ Pacific contacted Nair, he denied any wrongdoing. "The Consumer Council [of Fiji] hasn't got a clue," he said. Nair said that there are "heaps" of sellers in New Zealand, most using TikTok and Facebook to sell worldwide. "I'm just sending the referrals. If they want, they join. If they don't want, they don't join." He said that he receives a commission for every member that he refers, and that he has 47 members in his downline, with 21 from Fiji. He said he does not profit from their sales. But Nair has publicly boasted his "Gold ranking", which, according to LiveGood rules means he has at least 100 people, and at most 499 people, below him on his "enroller tree". Despite posting that new members could make "$1000 a week" if they sign up under him, Nair said they have to work for it by recruiting new members themselves. "Everybody are doing their own way of marketing, right? I'm just posting that. But if people gonna contact me, then I gonna explain them how it gonna work (sic)." According to [ Scam Detector], the TikTokker's storefront website has a score of 45.8/100, meaning it has a low-to-medium trust score, and is likely a scam. "This website has a pretty low score, which means caution is advised," it states. The New Zealand Commerce Commission says that it is aware of LiveGood's presence in New Zealand, and they are keeping a close watch. The Commission's general manager of competition, fair trading and credit Vanessa Horne said it received two enquiries about the multi-level marketer (MLM) in 2023. "While MLMs are not prohibited under the Fair Trading Act, businesses and individuals operating MLMs could still breach the Act if they make misleading or false claims about either the benefits of signing up to the MLM scheme and/or the goods or services the MLM sells." Horne said that an essential element of a pyramid scheme is that the return depends on the continued recruitment of new members, not product sales. Another is that they offer financial return based on recruitment fees. "Some promoters of pyramid schemes do try and make their schemes sound lawful. Consumers should be careful to ensure that a scheme is genuinely a multi-level marketing scheme, and not an illegal pyramid selling scheme before becoming involved with it." "The Commission encourages anyone who believes a business has breached the Fair Trading Act or one of the other laws we enforce, to report it, using the 'report a concern' form on our website ."
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 21 July
Pacific trade ministers have welcomed the draft Kava Declaration. Photo: Eric Lafforgue / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP Pacific trade ministers have welcomed the draft Kava Declaration, marking a significant step toward safeguarding kava's cultural and economic importance across the region. At a gathering in Suva, Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica, and his counterparts supported enhanced legal protections and the development of geographical indications for kava. Ministers tasked a technical working group with concrete next steps for a national and international geographical indication registration. This aims to bolster kava's brand value and protecting its traditional roots. Samoa's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour has officially declared two public holidays in August to support the smooth conduct of the country's 2025 General Election. In a public notice, the Ministry confirmed that Thursday, 28 August and Friday, 29 August will be observed as national public holidays. The purpose of these holidays is to provide all eligible voters across the country with adequate time to participate in the election process. The declaration applies to all government ministries, private sector organisations, and the general public. More than 100,000 eligible voters have registered for next month's upcoming general election. Samoa's Police Commissioner Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo is describing the widespread use and trafficking of methamphetamine as a national pandemic. The Police, Prisons and Corrections Services has stepped up its campaign against methamphetamine. Over recent months, police have carried out a series of targeted raids across the country, arresting people linked to the possession of methamphetamine, drug utensils, and illegal firearms. Auapa'au said the scale of the problem now requires sustained, long-term enforcement as well as broader community support. He said the use and distribution of meth is no longer isolated to a few cases, adding that it's spreading throughout the country and destroying lives and families. Seven Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers have fled a police investigation in Aitape in West Sepik Province. The Post-Courier reported that the police suspect the soldiers had been hired to provide security for a candidate in the Aitape-Lumi by-election. A search was conducted in the early hours of Tuesday to find the soldiers but they are understood to have caught a flight from Wewak to Port Moresby. Assistant Police Commissioner Steven Francis said the soldiers were "illegally on the ground on an unauthorised mission and allegedly providing security and other activities for a candidate." Polling is underway for the by-election and is expected to continue until 1 August. Family members of Papua New Guinea's first ever saint are preparing to travel from Australia to Rome for his canonisation in October. A catechist during the second world war, Blessed Peter To Rot, was executed by Japanese forces, for refusing to compromise on Catholic teachings regarding marriage. A PNG Catholic community elder in Sydney, David Luke, told ABC Tok Pisin that travel preparations have begun for several of their own congregation including members of Blessed Peter To Rot's family. Blessed Peter To Rot was beatified by Pope John Paul the second in 1995, and then cleared for canonisation by the late Pope Francis, who visited PNG in September last year. Schools in the Northern Marianas are bracing for a possible fiscal cliff, according to the Board of Education. Governor Arnold Palacios is planning substantial cuts to the education budget allocation. The government is proposing a US$40 million dollar grant but the Public School System has requested just over 49 million dollars. The Board of Education has testified that if the government's proposal is implemented they could be forced to declare a state of emergency in education.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- RNZ News
Fiji govt could pay NZ$1.5m settlement to former anti-corruption head for ruined career
Barbara Malimali Photo: X/Fiji Women Correction: This story was updated on 16 July 2025 to accurately reflect that the NZ$1.5 million settlement figure was proposed by Barbara Malimali. The Fijian government had not disclosed any settlement amount at the time of publication on Tuesday, 15 July 2025. The Fijian government could pay around NZ$1.5 million in damages to the disgraced former head of the country's anti-corruption agency. The state is offering Barbara Malimali an out-of-court settlement after her lawyer lodged a judicial review of her sacking in the High Court in Suva. According to local media reports, Malimali's lawyer Tanya Waqanika started negotiations on Tuesday with a $NZ1.5m figure. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka suspended Malimali from her role on 29 May, following a damning Commission of Inquiry into her appointment. Malimali was described as "universally corrupt" by Justice David Ashton-Lewis, the commissioner of the nine-week investigation, which involved 35 witnesses. "She was a pawn in the hands of devious members of government, who wanted any allegations against them or other government members thrown out," Ashton-Lewis told Pacific Waves earlier this month. Waqanika told RNZ Pacific that her client is seeking a "substantial" payout for damages and unpaid dues. Waqanika met lawyers from the Attorney-General's Office in the capital, Suva, on Tuesday after earlier negotiations failed. She declined to say exactly what was discussed, but said she expected to hear back in writing from the other party the same day. A High Court judge has given the government up until 3pm on Friday to reach a settlement, otherwise he will rule on the application on Monday. "We'll see what they come up with, that's the beauty of negotiations, but NZ$1.5 million would be a good amount to play with after your career has been ruined," Waqanika said. "[Malimali's] career spans over 27 years, but it is now down the drain thanks to Ashton-Lewis and the damage the inquiry report has done." She said Malimali also wanted a public apology, as she was being defamed every day in the social media. "I don't expect we'll get one out of Ashton-Lewis," she said. During a hearing in the High Court on Monday, lawyers for the state sought an adjournment to discuss a settlement with Waqanika. However, she opposed this, saying that the government's legal team had vast resources and they should have been prepared for the hearing. Malimali filed a case against President Naiqama Lalabalavu, Rabuka and the Attorney-General on 13 June on the grounds that her suspension was unconstitutional. Waqanika said the President suspended her on the advice of the Prime Minister instead of consulting the Judicial Services Commission. Government lawyers approached Waqanika offering a compensation deal the same day she lodged a judicial review in the High Court.
