Page 33 - Islands Business September 2023

‘Pacific Towing – Delivering More than Harbour Towage’

Melanesian marine services company, Pacific Towing
(PacTow), assists an average of 3,500 vessels annually
in five ports in Papua New Guinea, as well as in Honiara,
Solomon Islands. Although harbour towage is PacTow’s
core business, the company provides a raft of additional
services to the shipping industry. PacTow also plays
an important role in the region’s maritime safety,
environmental protection, and more recently port
upgrades.
PacTow’s harbour towage services are central to the safe
entry and departure of a diverse array of domestic and
international ships that call into PNG’s main ports, as well
as into Honiara. As such, the company is an integral pillar
of the maritime industry, providing essential services and PacTow’s 20-vessel fleet is deployed throughout PNG including at its busiest
facilitating regional as well as international trade. It’s not ports of Lae (pictured) and Port Moresby, as well as in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
just cargo vessels, bulk carriers, and RORO vessels relying It has ‘blue water’ tugs available for international salvage and towage projects.
on PacTow’s harbour towage services but also naval ships,
cruise liners, and sometimes even fuel and LNG tankers.
With its own 20-vessel fleet, PacTow has its tugs (Azimuth to capacity build emergency and spill capabilities within our own
Stern Drive and Conventional) permanently deployed at the organisation, as well as at an industry level, and even nationally.
various ports it operates from, including at PNG’s busiest ports of An example of this is PacTow’s involvement in the development
Lae and Port Moresby. The majority of its 200+ staff (97 percent of PNG’s ‘National Oil Spill Response Plan’.
nationalised), as well as its in-house engineering and workshop Another role PacTow is playing that facilitates the region’s
departments are located at its Port Moresby headquarters and shipping industry, as well as PNG’s development, is its
dedicated tug base. involvement in the upgrade of two of PNG’s ports. The port
“People not familiar with the shipping industry or tugboat upgrades are part of a broader infrastructure program funded by
operations often think that helping ships berth and unberth is multiple parties including the PNG and Australian governments.
all that a company like PacTow does” says General Manager, Neil PacTow’s commercial dive team – the region’s only permanent
Papenfus. “However, tugs have a vast range of capabilities and commercial dive operation – has been contracted to perform a
PacTow’s service offerings have greatly diversified over its 46- range of tasks for the upgrades including seabed surveys, debris
year history.” clearance, and underwater cutting.
Not only has PacTow’s towage service portfolio expanded – PacTow’s varied service offerings are evidence that the
their ‘blue water’ capabilities have seen their tugs transporting company is much more than ‘just a harbour towage provider’.
ships and barges as far afield as Guam, Micronesia, Indonesia, Marine Operations Manager, Gerard Kasnari, explains that it’s
and Australia (QLD, NT, WA) – but they have introduced not just the services PacTow provides that has contributed to
additional non-towage services (e.g., liferaft sales and servicing, its market leadership status but also the way it does business,
commercial diving, salvage, emergency response, and a range of including its social license credentials. “We employ local, we
specialised offerings for oil and gas clients). provide exceptional training both in-country and overseas,
PacTow’s salvage and oil spill services (i.e., both mitigation we have invested in two cadetship programs to grow the next
and clean-up) are increasingly in demand. “There is more vessel generation of Melanesian seafaring professionals, and we’re
traffic in the region than ever before, and PNG has a rapidly committed to the development and prosperity of the communities
expanding oil and gas industry” explains Papenfus. The company in which we operate. An example of this commitment is our
has participated in more than 70 salvages in the last 20 years, ongoing presence in some of PNG’s smaller and less profitable
with a growing number of these outside Melanesia, and regularly ports – without PacTow the people in those communities would
assists with oil spills. Thus, the company plays a significant miss out on vital shipping services.”
role in safeguarding not only vessels and crews but the marine
environment and therefore the livelihood and cultural practices ***
of thousands of coastal communities. PacTow is part of a larger sea and land logistics
PacTow also provides spill prevention services to bunkering group wholly owned by Steamships Limited.
vessels and tankers transferring fuel and it works in partnership To learn more about PacTow:
with energy clients on spill training drills. “Our collaboration www.pacifictowingmarineservices.com
with clients as well as with Port and Safety Authorities allow us
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