Seafarers turned away at Voco Point

By ELLEN TIAMU
PEOPLE wanting to travel on Lutheran Shipping vessels to Finschhafen and Siassi, Morobe, yesterday turned up the wharf at Voco Point only to be turned away.
There they were told that the mv Geyamsao and mv Mamose Express were not allowed to leave port.
The National Maritime Safety Authority this week detained mv Mamose Express and ordered the mv Geyamsao not to leave port until safety procedures had been complied with.
Passengers were asked to hold onto their tickets until the mv Geyamsao was ready to sail.
The Mamose Express will be grounded for a longer time because it faced 77 breaches of the Merchant Shipping Act.  
People from Finschhafen, Kabwum and Siassi Island depend on Lutheran Shipping services for transportation to and from Lae.
It is the only company that services the coastal area of Morobe province.
No road connects them to Lae and air travel is a much more expensive alternative although most airstrips in the area only cater for helicopters.
Fixed wing aircraft are rare in the area.