Pumice clogs island shores after Papua New Guinea eruption, stoking fears of food shortage

WELLINGTON - Thick rafts of volcanic pumice ejected by an undersea eruption in Papua New Guinea's Bismarck Sea have blocked boats, damaged fishing grounds and fuelled fears of food shortages, the leaders of remote coastal communities on Manus Island said.

The eruption, still underway, began on May 8 about 125 km (78 miles) southeast of the island, NASA satellite observations show, sending floating pumice and discoloured water outwards from the site.

Villages along the coast were badly affected, said local government official Jayso James So-on, calling for disaster response efforts by the provincial government.

"Our livelihoods are based on saltwater, and with the influx of the pumice now, it's really affecting daily activities," he said, adding that reefs had been covered and sea transport to Lorengau, the provincial capital, disrupted.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Media have said Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape ordered agencies to assess the undersea activity.

Images show brown pumice rock lines the island's coast, in places two or three meters deep, say residents, allowing them to walk in areas once covered in water.

Such pumice rafts, as they are known, form only in certain conditions, such as when gas-rich magma erupts at the right depth to foam and float, said volcanologist Mike Rosenberg of Earth Sciences New Zealand.

"The pumice itself is not dangerous," Rosenberg said. "The main issue is that it's just massive and you can't move through it easily."

The rafts can take months or years to sink after getting waterlogged by sea currents and tides that swamp them, he added.

Residents say they are struggling with basic daily tasks such as catching fish for food and travelling to Lorengau for supplies and services.

"Food will run out first and then water," head teacher Michael Kuam said in Timoenai, a settlement of about 800, where outboard motors cannot be used because pumice has stacked up two to three metres deep in some areas.

"People can't afford food too because they sell fish to get money," added Kuam, who has organised students and villagers to spend the morning trying to clear the pumice to avert longterm damage to the fishing grounds.

Bags of pumice collected in this way are being used to fill swampy areas around the school and level its sports field, he said.

The volcanic eruption continues, the Smithsonian Institutes Global Volcanism Program said in its latest update.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer in Wellington, Seoyun Kang in Seoul and Vinaya K in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 2:31 AM.