The Fiji Ships and Heavy Industries Limited (FSHIL) is setting the standard for ship repairing in the Pacific region based on safety and reliability of its services.

Operation Manager, Lopeti Radravu said they are always committed to meeting their customers’ needs as they strive to maintain a business culture that is customer-focused.

But even though the services rendered are customer-focused, they ensure that their standard is not compromised in the process.

“We have our safety standards for ship repairing and we don’t just bend it or minimise it to meet the demand of our customers. If we tend to work according to their demands, sometimes it compromises the standard and the reliability of our services,” Mr Radravu said.

“This is our edge that enables us to service local repairs and tapping into the region. When ship owners align themselves to our standard, they always benefit from the end results, something they always appreciate and they always return when their vessels need servicing or repairing.”

Mr Radravu said they were proud not only to service vessels from the region but fishing vessels from Asian countries that fish in the region.

He said this was because of FHSIL’s reputation as a trusted name in the Pacific built on the pride they take in on-time delivery and their consistent track record of reliability. It also offers a reasonable price for its service compared to others.

Mr Kandon Namto, the Captain of MV Lady E from the Marshall Island Transportation & Communication Ministry said they were pleased with work conducted by FSHIL which was the reason the ministry was choosing FSHIL ahead of the other companies.

 MV Lady E returned to the Marshall Islands last month she was dry-docked at the slipway for two months.

FHSIL has also provided services for vessels from Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tonga.

Last year, FSHIL exceeded its target of 133 with a record 148 vessels that were on the slipway.

A total of 108 vessels have been serviced so far from January to October this year.

FACT FILE

• FSHIL adheres to the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) standards. This professional, Accredited Certification Body, of which Fiji is a member country, complies with ISO-IEC 17021: 2006 for Ship Repair & Refit.
• Our full range of services include refits and conversions, maintenance, overhauls and ship repairs, with specialised crafts such as welding, industrial painting, pipefitting, ship fitting, electrical work, sandblasting, carpentry and rigging. We also offer shipbuilding capabilities.
• FSHIL is the subsidiary company of Fiji Ports Corporation Limited.