Nauru International Port

The Nauru International Port is a seaport which is currently under construction on Nauru in the Pacific Ocean. With an anticipated opening in 2021, it will become the country's first international seaport and improve commerce and connectivity for the island nation. The $79.59 million USD project will be a climate change-proof port which will be vital in receiving necessary supplies such as fuel, food, and medical supplies.[1] The new port, which was originally expected to open in December 2020, is anticipated to fit Nauru's needs until at least 2050.[2]

Not to be confused with Nauru International Airport.
Nauru International Port
Nauru Port in 2014, prior to redevelopment
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Location
CountryNauru
LocationAiwo District
Coordinates0.52904°S 166.91054°E / -0.52904; 166.91054 (Port of Nauru)
Details
OpenedTBD
Operated byNauru Maritime Port Authority
Owned byGovernment of Nauru
No. of wharfs1
Employees60
Statistics
Website
https://www.nauruport.com/

History

Nauru had planned for a large, maritime port for over a century.[3] To receive supplies, large ships would dock offshore and ferry cargo containers to the 111-year-old Aiwo Boat Harbor in a process that was unsafe, difficult, and inefficient.[4][5]

After the project was greenlighted in September 2019,[6] construction of the port began the following month at the site of the aged harbor with funding from the Asian Development Bank, Green Climate Fund, the governments of Australia and Nauru, and the Nauru Sustainable and Climate Resilient Connectivity Project.[7][8] In preparation for the anticipated 2021 opening sixty local workers were trained in modern port practices such as safety, maintenance and stevedoring.[4]

By March 2022 the second family moved into a newly constructed house as part of the Red Zone Rehabilitation Project. As part of the scheme, families whose property was encroached upon by the enlargement of the port area were given a house with a construction cost of $64,000 AUD paid for by the Nauruan government. It was anticipated that 250 individuals would receive a new home as part of the program.[9] The $2.3m project addresses safety concerns related to living close to the construction site and the already-unsafe conditions of the structures which were originally built in the early to mid-twentieth century to house Chinese and Caroline Islanders brought to Nauru by the British to work in the phosphate industry.[10] In May of that year the ADB provided another $15 million grant to cover additional costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

References
  1. "Q&A: How a New Port is Building Skills and Knowledge in Nauru". Asian Development Bank. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. "Construction begins on Nauru port project". RNZ. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. "Nauru to Get Its 1st International, Climate-Proofed Port". offshore-energy.biz. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  4. "Nauru Port Workers to be Trained as Construction Begins on New Port". Loop Nauru. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  5. "Port Upgrade Throwing a Lifeline to the People of Nauru". Asian Development Bank. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  6. "Green light for $US80 million Nauru port development". RNZ. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  7. "Construction Begins for Nauru's First International Port, Supported by ADB". Asian Development Bank. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. "Nauru building its first international port". Pacific Island Times. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. ""Red Zone" House Handover" (PDF). Nauru Buelletin. 237 (3–2022): 4. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  10. "Location Resettlement Underway" (PDF). Nauru Bulletin. 223 (19–2020): 6. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  11. "ADB provides $15m Additional Grant for Nauru Port". Loop Nauru. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
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