The construction of Faua wharf expansion has begun with installation of a safety fence around the construction site.
The new Japanese funded project, on the western side of Queen Salote Wharf, includes two ship berthing areas with each having a length of 90 metres and a three story terminal building.
The spaces behind the berths will be used as cargo yards.
The ticket office will be at the first floor. There will be restaurants at the second floor while office spaces for shipping companies will be provided at the third floor.
The TP$55.5 million (an equivalent of $23 US million) building will be partly powered by solar panels that will be installed on the roof.
The new wharf, which is constructed on top of a shallow fringing coral reef of approximately 200 metres wide, will provide parking spaces on the north and south sides of the terminal building which they can accommodate a total of around 100 cars.
During the construction about 153,000 cubic metres of seabeds will be dredged and scooped up out of the water. The dredged materials will be used for the reclaimation of Queen Salote Wharf.
The wharf will be protected from waves by a breakwater of approximately 250 meters in length.
TOA Corporation from Japan will conduct the construction under the supervision of JICA, a Japanese agency which monitors the project.
It was expected the construction will take about three years before it will be completed.
