‘PacTow Seafarers Contributing to PNG & Beyond’
Home grown company Pacific Towing (PacTow), is not only the marine services market leader in Papua New Guinea but also broader Melanesia. For nearly 50 years PacTow has been contributing to the shipping industry,
The Next Breakthrough in Shipping isn’t on the horizon. It’s here.
Few think of the ocean as an epicenter for human ingenuity, but our history and future can be charted by our life on the seas, President David Kabua writes. From the extraordinary voyages of my ancestors and other early
The Pacific call for an equitable transition for world shipping appears to be building. But is all as it seems?
It’s been a fantastic week for international support for the Pacific’s high ambition position at the International Maritime Organisation – after many years of this small alliance of Pacific states, nicknamed the
Another Chinese research vessel disrespects Palau laws
Another Chinese research vessel, HAIYANG DIZHI LIUHAO entered Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone without permission or notification to the Palau government on 24 May 2023, at around 1:20 pm, disrespecting Palau’s laws
Shipping lobby group advises caution on climate targets
An influential shipping industry group has quietly warned shippers to think carefully before they sign up for a new plan to reduce pollution and eventually eliminate their contribution to climate change. The
Project Cerulean: A vast ocean of possibility to explore
In 2018, Swire Shipping and the University of the South Pacific launched a new project to research and design a low-carbon wind powered, commercially-operated freighter to stimulate outer-island Pacific trade. Route
Cop28 host UAE tried to weaken global shipping climate ambition
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) tried to weaken global shipping’s climate target last week, sparking fears that it will lack ambition as host of the Cop28 climate summit. According to four sources in the room, the UAE
Palau Shipping Registry claims ITF report ‘misleading’
The statistical evidence presented by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) on Palau-flagged vessels is “wholly inaccurate, misinterpreted and clearly misleading”. This was the statement made
Vessels registered to the Cook Islands, Palau targeted in shipping crackdown
Up to 1,000 ships flagged to the Cook Islands, Palau, Sierra Leone, and Togo will be targeted for safety, maintenance and seafarer welfare inspections across the Mediterranean Sea in the coming eight weeks by an army of
Ship insurers accused of enabling fishing vessels to ‘go dark’
When it comes to illegal fishing, London’s ancient business of ship insurance may not get much attention. But according to a new complaint, the UK capital’s insurance industry is partly to blame when fishing vessels
‘PNG Logistics Co Invests to Better Service South Pacific’
Papua New Guinea’s oldest business group, Steamships Trading Company Ltd, has invested millions in its Logistics Division in re-fleeting and new equipment with several million more to be expended prior to 2025. The
Pacific proposal calls for high price on shipping emissions
Pacific nations this week have lodged new submissions at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), calling for a high price on GHG emissions. According to the Micronesian Centre for Sustainable Transport (MCST),
Punching above its weight, Pacific pushes for ship polluters to pay
Punching above our weight has been the statement echoed in London this week to describe the tiny Pacific’s bold push against some of the global heavyweights to have polluters (ship) pay-up for their pollution. This
Kiribati government looking to get flights back in the air
Kiribati’s transport boss says his ministry aims to re-establish air service connections in the Line Islands. The Minister of Information, Communication and Transport, Tekeeua Tarati, said part of the work is to
The Pandemic, War and the Effect on Island Travel
It’s an early Tuesday morning in the seaside town of Levuka. A fish salesman is busy opening his doors to suppliers as they bring in their catch after the night’s fishing. A shop owner scurries around preparing to
Pacific nations double down on their green demands
As is customary in the run up to any gathering of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), predicable fault lines are emerging. Oil producing nations tend to
‘PacTow Expands its Tug Fleet Again!’
Tavurvur (originally ‘Nimble’), shares many similarities to Koranga, another ASD tug PacTow purchased in the first half of 2022 for permanent deployment in Lae. Tavurvur is in class with Lloyd’s Register, 30
Fiji Ports Corporation Limited: The Smart Green Gateway to Trade in the Pacific Region
Fiji Ports Corporation Pte Limited (FPCL) is a Port Management Company of Fiji. FPCL plays a regulatory role in maintaining standards relating to the main ports of entry into Fiji – Ports of Suva and Lautoka, and Port
‘PNG Shipping Co Invests: New Vessel, New Barge, New Containers’
Papua New Guinea’s leading coastal shipping provider, Consort Express Lines (‘Consort’), recently welcomed the arrival of its latest cargo vessel ‘Kimbe Chief’. Consort’s purchase of the nearly
Aging ports infrastructure under scrutiny
The shared challenge of aging ports infrastructure will be one of the key issues discussed at the upcoming Association of Pacific Ports annual conference in Saipan next month. Ports authorities recognise it is time to
Opening the window
Vanuatu is leading the region in the use of an Electronic Single Window System to ensure trade documentation is organised in a more efficient and transparent way. The manager for the Electronic Single Window Project,
PNG PM responds to hefty fines owed to Indonesia
The Office of the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister has been tasked to seek clarificatioover a hefty penalty notice of K105 million (US$5 million) from the Indonesian government. Responding to the fine over six illegal
Marshall Islands pushes back on ship registry criticism
A Marshall Islands ship registry official has pushed back at criticism a U.S organisation lobbed its way as part of the announcement that the United States government is going to launch an “open” ship registry. The
