๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ก๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐, ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด (๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ง๐ผ๐). ๐จ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น, ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ง๐ผ๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ. ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ง๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐โ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐. ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐.
Founded in PNG in 1977, PacTow introduced its first cadetship programme more than two decades ago. In 2018, it invested in another programme focussed purely on fast-tracking the seafaring careers of women. The โWomen in Maritimeโ cadetship programme is in partnership with the Australian Government, Consort Express Lines, and Swire Shipping. Both cadetship programmes take four years to complete.
The recently awarded Solomon Islander scholarship holders will undertake approximately eight months of preliminary study and work experience in Solomon Islands prior to embarking on their actual cadetships in January 2026. This April will see the awardees commence nearly two months of basic seafaring training, including Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) training, at the Maritime College of Solomon Islands National University. They will then gain valuable practical work experience at PacTowโs Honiara tugboat operation until the end of the year.
Early 2026 will see the awardees relocate to Fiji to undertake a full year of study at the National Universityโs Pacific Centre for Maritime Studies (PCMS). General Manager of Pacific Towing, Gerard Kasnari, concedes that he had initially planned for the awardees to commence their Fiji studies this year. However, he believes that โthe preliminary study and practical experience they get in Honiara over the next eight months will be a great advantage to them in the classroom in Fiji.โ
Upon successful completion of their studies at PCMS, the cadets will undertake two years of sea-time training. Consort Express Lines, one of PacTowโs sister companies and PNGโs largest coastal shipping operation, will provide the cadets with coastal shipping experience. International experience, on considerably larger and more technically advanced vessels on some of the worldโs busiest shipping routes, is slated to take place on Swire Shipping vessels. The cadets will also work on PacTowโs fleet of tugs during this two-year period where they will assist vessels berth and unberth, as well as be exposed to emergency operations such as salvages and oil spill responses.
Once the cadets have completed their two years of sea-time, they will return to PCMS in Fiji for additional study and their exams. Upon graduating as โOfficers of the Watchโโeither Deck or Engineโthey will take up full-time employment with PacTow. However, their qualifications will also enable them to later secure employment across a broad spectrum of maritime operations throughout Melanesia, as well as much further afield.
Kasnari notes that โMelanesia has an aging seafaring workforce; the international standards which we operate to are getting higher, and vessels are becoming more sophisticated. As a business, we therefore need to be training a new generation of maritime professionalsโmen and womenโto ensure that we not only have enough seafarers to operate, but that we also have the very best. Also, as a good corporate citizen, and as a well-established and successful business that has prospered from our operations in the region, it is important for PacTow to โgive backโ. Helping Solomon Islands grow its maritime workforce is just one of the ways weโre doing this. We would also like to invest in maritime scholarships for young Fijians if our business expands further there as planned.โ
PacTow has had a permanent business operation in Solomon Islands since 2012. In addition to its core business of harbour towage, it has conducted a number of salvages in Solomon Islandsโ waters. Likewise, it has conducted salvages in Fiji where it also has a registered business.
PacTow is Melanesiaโs largest marine services business. It employs more than 250 staff and has a fleet of 20 vessels. It provides a broad spectrum of marine services, including towage, emergency response, commercial diving, life raft services, and salvage. PacTow is part of a larger sea and land logistics group wholly owned by Steamships Limited.
