Pacific Transport
p. 71 · Read in the full issue
Islands May Form
A Shipping Pool
The regional shipping service for the South Pacific, when it starts operating, is more likely to be a pooling arrangement, rather than a shipping line, at least in the initial stages.
This suggests that in the early stages.
Nauru and Tonga, which have their own shipping lines, would provide the ships.
Both countries have been expansionary in the past with their shipping policies, and should have no trouble n providing the required capacity.
Papua New Guinea is interested in getting up its own shipping line, and could also enter tie pool. The South Pacific Forum, wh,n ,t meets m Tonga m July, should ha-, before In December there was an un official refing of forum leaders in Apia.
One of these was the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr Rowling, who said on his return to Wellington that the leaders had committed themselves to action on the shipping problem. Countries which had their own lines had agreed to give a firm commitment on the tonnage they were prepared to put in.
He said that New Zealand and other countries now had to face up to what they could offer. Apart from
Nauru and Tonga, and the possibility of PNG later providing some ship ping, it was likely that New Zealand would be the main contributor to the scheme. Possibly the NZ Shipping Corporation would buy another ship.
Mr Rowling told PIM in Apia that t h e establishment of a regional ship ping line would greatly speed up the importation of goods to the islands an d the export of island products Hk e bananas. Such a project, there fore, would be of great benefit to the island peoples. Of this, he was ab solutely sure Mr Rowling was asked about , he New Zea i and S trade unions. Would h threaten the existence of a f , shi j company? Wou ld ***’ for b^c °« island shi P s enterin * New Zea,and P°» s?
He replied that certain guidelines affecting the relationships between the companies and the unions had already been agreed upon at a ship- Pmg conference at Waitangi, New Zealand.
All that the unions required was that a regional shipping line, if established should provide decent wages and working conditions for its employees and that these should be approved by the unions before service could commence.
Nauru's Enna G. It could be the flag ship for the shipping pool which the Islands, meeting as the South Pacific Forum in Tonga in July, are expected to form if they scrap the idea of a regional shipping line.