Shipping companies found in breach of the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission Act 2010 and the Commerce Control of Prices for Shipping Services, Freight Rates and Passenger Order 2016 can be fined between $50,000 to $250,000.
Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission CEO Joel Abraham says the fine will depend on the severity of the breach.
Fijian Competition & Consumer Commission CEO Mr Joel Abraham speaking on the Compliance with FCCC ACT 2010 and Information Disclosure...@SaudMinam @mueFIJI pic.twitter.com/KgfXxlJDta
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Abraham says that they understand that the festive season is the peak time for travelling and they are monitoring to ensure that consumers are not overcharged and that tickets are not oversold.
He says they have knowledge of instances where people were left stranded on jetties.
Abraham says they are currently looking into the matter to see if tickets were indeed oversold and he is urging people who have information to come forward and lodge their complaints with them.
He says that such problems will not be solved by posting about them on social media.
Abraham says if a vessel has passenger capacity of 500 and is carrying a load of 501 passengers, it is considered a breach of the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission Act.
He says their officers are also going on board vessels to inspect facilities.
Visits to the Narain Jetty, Nabouwalu Jetty and Savusavu Jetty were made by the Commission as part of its monitoring.
