Port Overview

Tuvalu has one port situated on Fongafale Island on the E side of Funafuti atoll. It is the port of entry.  

Funafuti Wharf is on the West side of the North arm of the island, 1nm N of the main town of Vaiaku.  

It handles general cargo almost exclusively containerised, and oil.  Catering to approximately 20 vessels annually. The types of vessels regularly calling at FUNAFUTI are Cargo (14%), Passenger (14%), Passenger/Cargo Ship (14%).   

Max draft: 8, Max LOA: 183, Max DWT: 20375 

Funafuti is the only port but there is a deep-water berth in the lagoon at  Nukufetau 

Key port information can also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com

 

 

Port Picture

1 Port warehouse 

2 Funafuti Wharf 

3 Nippon Wharf 

4 Container area 1 

5 Container area 2 

Police Boat at wharf

Container storage outside port 

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

The port, stevedoring services, facilities and equipment are owned and operated by the Funafuti Port Authority, a government department, part of the Ministry of Communication and Transport. 

For more information on port contacts, please see the following link: 4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List

Port Performance

The port is small but not congested, average waiting time between arrival and berthing is not more than 24 hours. It caters to around 20 vessels per year. Maximum draft is 10m.  

There are no dockside cranes, so all vessels must have onboard gantry cranes for loading and unloading. There are forklifts dockside for moving and unstuffing containers.  

The port’s major limitation is lack of space for container storage additionally the storage area is neither paved nor level resulting in many containers being stacked on both sides of the road outside the port security fence.  

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

Dockage Dues 

(1) Berthing fee of any overseas vessel berthing alongside the wharf and under the control of the Harbour Master must pay a fee, at the rate of Gross Tonnage x $0.20 + $300.00. 

(2) Berthing fee for0 foreign yacht is $5.00 per metre length per day. 

4 Port Dues 

(1) Any vessel in port whether plying for hire or within the purlieus of such wharf shall pay port dues at the rate of 100 Gross Tonnage x the number of hours alongside x $1.20. 

(2) Any delays caused by the local port authorities due to equipment failure shall incur a diminution in the port dues prescribed in (1). 

(3) Any overseas vessels that anchors within the port limits shall be charged the   length per metre x $2.00 x number of days. 

(4) Port dues should be levied to overseas yacht in port whether plying for hire or otherwise at the rate of $50.00 per call (not exceeding 30 days) plus $5.00 per day (after 30 days). 

5 Dockage and Port Dues for Local Vessels 

(1) Any vessel owned or registered in Tuvalu shall pay dockage dues at the rate of Gross Tonnage x $0.10 + $100.00. 

(2) Any vessel owned or registered in Tuvalu shall pay port dues at the rate of 100 Gross Tonnage x number of hours x $0.80. 

(3) Any vessel owned and registered in Tuvalu that anchors within the port limit shall be charged by the length of the vessel x $1.50 x number of days. 

6 Wharfage Dues 

(1) Dues known as wharfage dues should be levied on all goods landed or discharged on any vessel including the Nivaga II and the Manufolau within the port when goods are handled by port personnel. 

7 Charges on Vessels being in the Harbour 

(1) Vessel license fee shall be levied on any vessel whether plying for hire, at anchorage or berth at the sum of $100.00 per visit. 

(2)  Environment levy fee should be charged to any vessel in port whether playing for hire or at anchorage at the rate of GRT x $0.05 per visit. 

(3) Security fee at the rate of $50.00 per day shall be applicable to all vessels. 

(4) Light dues shall be levied on all overseas vessels at the rate of $50.00 per visit. 

(5) Port users and shipping agencies shall pay the fee of $200.00 per annum for business conducted within the harbour vicinity. 

(6) Visitors to the port shall pay the fee of $2.00 per day for entering the area. 

(7) Vehicles other than Government vehicles shall pay the fee of $5.00 per day for entering the harbour. 

(8) Stevedoring charges shall be made against Master or Owner at rates set out in Schedule 1. 

(9) Equipment hire charges shall be made against Master or Owner, Importers and the public in general at rates set out in Schedule 3. 

8 Area 

(1) No storage charges shall be levied on inward cargoes (excluding perishable cargoes/goods). 

(2) Inward Cargoes must be cleared within 5 working days (28 days for transhipment) after which cargoes shall be charged for storage as per rates prescribed in Schedule 2. 

9 Dangerous Goods 

All kind of dangerous goods shall be cleared within 24 hours after arrival at the wharf after which dangerous goods shall be charged at $100.00 per tanktainer, cooking gas cylinder and 200 litres petrol drum containers. 

SCHEDULE 1 

(Regulation 7 (8)) 

SCHEDULE 2 

(Regulation 8 (2)) 

 

 

SCHEDULE 3 

(Regulation 7 (9)) 

 

 

Berthing Specifications 

 
  

General Cargo Handling Berths 

All berths are general cargo/container handling 

Port Handling Equipment 

The port equipment is managed and owned by the Funafuti Port Authority, a government entity.    

  

25MT forklift, Funafuti Port 

Container Facilities 

 

There are no specialist container facilities. Port is general cargo. 

Customs Guidance 

Customs are based in nearby township offices and work 0830 to 1700 Monday to Friday but present for all vessel arrivals. Clearance can be expected same day if notice is given prior to arrival. 

For more information on customs in Tuvalu please see the following link:1.3 Customs Information  

Terminal Information 

MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL 

The terminal has been designed for multipurpose, general passenger, container and tankers 

No ro-ro facilities available 

GRAIN AND BULK HANDLING 

No facilities for grain and bulk handling 

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL 

Covered storage is secure CGI shed with concrete floors. 

Cargo Shed, Funafuti Port 

Stevedoring 

Stevedoring is not a private company; labourers are employed as casual under the government. Manual labour is used for unstuffing containers. 

Hinterland Information 

Goods are moved from port by private pickup trucks  

Port Security 

The area surrounding the docks is fenced although not totally secure and may be accessed from adjoining building. Security personnel are present 24/7 

Planned to improvements include paving and extension of the container storage area into the lagoon side. 

The aviation sector consists of an International Airport located in the main town centre, it services up to two ATR-72 flights per week from Suva as stipulated under the agreement between Fiji Airways and Tuvalu Government, and a supplementary flight to be staged once the travelling demand for both sectors have increased.   

Periodic weekly flights from Tarawa were started in early February 2018 for a period of two years under the Tuvalu and Air Kiribati contract, until early 2020 when Air Kiribati terminated their service.   

The Funafuti airstrip is the only airstrip in Tuvalu that is still operational and it’s the main gateway in and out of the country.   

The airstrip was constructed by the United States government during World War II. The runway has a length of 1,535 meters and a width of 30 meters, the surface was tar sealed in 1992 with a capacity of 50 tons that was reduced due to damage resulting from water covering part of the runway during very high tides. Resurfacing of the runway was done in 2017 under the Tuvalu Aviation Investment Project funded by the World Bank, additionally there were other supporting services procured under this project, including the Delivery of an Airport Rescue Fire Fighting Vehicle.  

A new terminal building and a Flight Service Tower Building were officially opened in 2018.  

The Ministry of Transport, Energy & Tourism (MTET) through the Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD) manages the airport operations and is responsible for compliance with national and international civil aviation requirements.  

Key airport information may also be found at: http://worldaerodata.com/ 

For more information on government agency and airport company contact information, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.5 Airport Companies Contact List 

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft 

Aircraft registration  

1. The Director shall establish and maintain a system for the national registration of civil aircraft in Tuvalu.  

1. A civil aircraft shall not operate in Tuvalu unless it is registered in Tuvalu or is registered under the laws of a foreign country.  

1. An aircraft shall be eligible for registration if and only if it is not registered in a foreign country and, unless otherwise permitted by the Director by regulation, it is owned by —  

1. a citizen of Tuvalu.     

1. the Government of Tuvalu or a political subdivision of Tuvalu; or  

1. a body incorporated under the laws of Tuvalu.  

1. An application for registration shall be in such form, be filed in such manner, and contain such information as the Director may require.  

1. On the registration of an aircraft, the Director shall issue to the owner a certificate of registration.  

1. An aircraft shall acquire Tuvalu nationality when registered under this Act but a certificate of registration issued under this section shall not be considered evidence as to ownership in any proceeding under the laws of Tuvalu in which ownership of the aircraft by a particular person is or may be in issue.  

1. The Director may suspend or revoke a licence issued under this Act for any cause if the Director finds the suspension or revocation to be in the public interest. 

 

The full legislation can be viewed at  

https://tuvalu-legislation.tv/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/2006/2006-0002/CivilAviationAct_1.pdf 

Permits for journeys other than scheduled journeys  

An application for a licence shall be in the form hereunder set out and shall be addressed to the Licensing Authority by registered post.  

I hereby make application for a licence to operate an air service, and declare that the particulars concerning my application are hereunder truly set out —  

PARTICULARS A  

1. Name and address of applicant.  

1. Places between which passengers or goods are to be carried.  

1. Places at which intermediate landings are to be made for the purpose of loading or landing  passengers or goods.  

1. Frequency of the service (including proposed time-tables).  

1. Number and types of aircraft proposed to be used on the service.  

1. Whether the service is to carry passengers or goods or both.  

1. Maximum fares to be charged to passengers in respect of any journey or portion of a journey for which separate fares are charged.  

1. Charges to be made in respect of goods and excess baggage. 

1. Date on which service is to commence. 

1. Period for which the licence is desired. 

 

Full details can be viewed at: 

https://tuvalu-legislation.tv/cms/images/LEGISLATION/SUBORDINATE/1964/1964-0047/AirTransportLicensingofAirServicesRegulations_1.pdf 

  

The total surfaced length of the upgraded road network is 15.5 km with an average width of 5 meters. The traffic loading is generally light and the total number of vehicles on the Island is approximately 1,200 units. The spectrum consists mainly of motor bikes (75%), motor vehicles (20%) and the remaining 5% light medium and heavy commercial vehicles. 

The main roads on Funafuti are paved, but other roads and on other islands are generally unpaved. Animals and unwary pedestrians walking in the road make night driving on unlit secondary roads hazardous.  

King tides and storms can result in debris on roads due to the country’s low topography. 

Due to the small size of Tuvalu the road network is adequate for its needs. Resurfacing work of the main roads was carried out in 2017. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List 

Road Security 

There are no security issues with the road network in Tuvalu.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits 

There are no weighbridges, axle load limits or land border crossings in Tuvalu.

There are no ‘internal’ waterways in Tuvalu however inter-island water transport is the main form of transportation for people and goods in the country. 

Many of the outer islands do not have docking facilities for large ships and therefore landing craft are the preferred option for transporting heavy cargo/vehicles, otherwise transhipment using small boats from ships anchored off the beach is the norm.  This can be challenging in the case of narrow entrances though the reefs particularly if any size of sea is running. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List

Company Information

There are no private companies active in the market. Inter-island transport is mainly provided by government ships 

 For more information on waterway company contact details, please see the following link:  4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List.

 

 

 

Travel Time Matrix 

There is no commercial storage. Public sector storage consists of a number of buildings and sheds in various states of repair that could be used in an emergency situation The port has 1 large (1,000m2) secure shed that would be available. Other potential temporary storage options range from meeting houses to schools and churches. Although not all are fully secure, security on this small island is not a major concern. 

The outer islands have storage options, consisting of Public Works Department sheds, schools and meeting halls. 

The Red Cross has containers on each of the outer Islands for prepositioning NFI disaster preparedness stocks.   

For more information on storage company contact details, please see the following link: 4.6 Storage and Milling Companies Contact List 

Commercial Storage 

There are no commercial storage facilities available   

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations 

Red Cross is the only humanitarian organization with prepositioned stocks on all of the islands using containers as storage facilities 

Red Cross storage facility, Funafuti

Meeting House, Funafuti Airport

Public Sector Storage 

 The secure public storage facilities are limited to the cargo shed at the Port. 

Storage shed at Funafuti Port

Cold Chain 

The only cold chain storage options are refrigerated containers.  

Princess Margaret Hospital has vaccine fridges  

- 4 x TCW 2000 AC, capacity 60L 

- 2 x TCW 4000 AC, capacity 240L 

- 1 x Haier (-80°C) for covid vaccines 

- 1 x Ice-line, capacity 40L 

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.  

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider. 

Tuvalu has no milling capability.