Vanuatu battered by Cyclone Ivy

4.10pm

Vanuatu is assessing the damage to its northern and central islands battered by tropical cyclone Ivy.

Hundreds of people have been moved to avoid the cyclone winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour.

Three Taiwanese ships were reported to have sunk in Port Vila harbour overnight.

The cyclone has caused major damage to villages on outlying islands but there were no reports of death or injuries.

One of the critical issues for the island is a loss of contact with smaller communities, Vanuatu's national disaster management office director, Job Esau, told ABC Radio Australia.

"We are thinking of deploying an aerial reconnaissance over the affected areas."

A French government plane from neighbouring New Caledonia will assess the damage on outlying islands.