Province needs bigger ships

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The province needs bigger ships to facilitate the movement of people and goods in the province, the head of the local transportation office said.

Martono was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying that the existing fleets of "pioneering" ships are barely adequate to meet the local people's transportation needs.

Shipping services down the rivers or along Irian Jaya's coast provide important means of transportation in the largely underdeveloped province. Apart from around large cities, there are hardly any roads in Irian Jaya.

Martono said most ships plying the southern and northern coasts are in poor condition and must be replaced soon.

The government has offered financial incentives to shipping operators plying the far-flung areas known as pioneering routes. (emb)