P&O Cruises Helps Make Island Life a Breeze
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Cruise passengers have another great reason to visit Vanuatu’s Mystery Island thanks to a helping hand from P&O Cruises with the funding of a much-needed 40-seat tender boat, aptly christened Island Breeze.
The introduction of Island Breeze will allow local people to transport passengers from Mystery Island to neighbouring Aneityum for two shore tours newly established by the community.
Four members of the local community have been trained to operate the vessel under the personal supervision of Mark Gooderham, the CEO of the Maritime College of Vanuatu.
The purchase of Island Breeze is one of multiple initiatives taking place across the South Pacific as a result of P&O Cruises’ partnership with Ausaid’s Enterprise Challenge Fund, contributing funds to a program to assist in building an economic base for South Pacific communities, upgrading cruise facilities and better managing the environment.
Community elders have praised the Island Breeze initiative, which they see as one way of increasing the opportunities available to young people to motivate them to stay in their own communities.
Jenny Lourey, Senior Vice President of Carnival Australia, which operates P&O Cruises, said Mystery Island was a template for what P&O Cruises is trying to develop at other locations across the South Pacific and a symbol of the cruise line’s ongoing commitment to the area.
“The aim of this program is to provide an economic foundation for local communities as well as to upgrade jetties and other amenities. Initiatives such as the boat and the development of shore tours that feature the local culture are ways of achieving this,” said Ms Lourey
In another joint effort with local communities, P&O Cruises recently constructed a new landing pontoon for cruise ships for Fiji’s Dravuni Island.
