13 Jul 2011

Fuel delivery to Manihiki averts Cooks blackout

1:23 pm on 13 July 2011

A Cook Islands government patrol boat from Rarotonga has arrived in Manihiki with 10,000 litres of diesel, averting a fuel crisis on the northern island.

A local businessman Apii Piho says it was welcome relief, as he was down to his very last drum after he'd given surplus diesel to other businesses which had run out.

He says the boat schedule remains a pressing issue.

"By this weekend, we would've been (getting) blackouts. It has been a problem with the boat scheduling. We used to have a frequency of say one a month. We are now very lucky to get one every three months. 12"

Apii Piho says a charter boat from Samoa is expected to bring in more fuel by the end of the month, as they had originally requested 30,000 litres.