wharves

A neighborhood near the wharves is still known as the Irish Channel.

“The waves came up under the wharves, picked them up and dropped them somewhere else,” Ms. Coombs said.

The United States last month pledged to build more undersea telecommunications cables and wharves in the region, as it seeks to compete with China's influence after that country's decade of infrastructure lending.

Along the docks at the water's edge, tightly packed tenements shared space with the rat infested wharves, raw sewage dumped into the waterway.

China has been a major infrastructure lender to Vanuatu, donating the parliament building, stadiums and the prime minister's office, as well as constructing roads and wharves.