for regional shipping

Pacific Transport

Nationalism, a perilous reef for regional shipping

From a special correspondent

The decision of the South Pacific Forum, at its July meeting at Nauru, to establish the Pacific Forum Line has, at long last, brought to near reality the much-talked-about regional shipping line a subject repeatedly discussed by Island leaders since the Pacific Islands Producers’

Association (PIPA) was formed in the late 19605.

In PIPA’s early years, Island leaders quickly felt that there was a need for a regional shipping line to reduce or perhaps end the Islands’ dependence on foreign shipping in terests and enable them to come to grips themselves with the problem of freight rates, routes, etc in which they had been helpless in the past.

A sub-committee was formed to look into the question and held several meetings, under PIPA’s auspices.

Those early meetings agreed that not only was there an urgent need for a regional shipping line but believed it would be a viable one.

The Tongan national line and, to a lesser extent, the Nauru line, were go ing to be the basis upon which the regional shipping line would be form ed. Tonga’s Pacific Navigation had the ships, the trained crews and, so it was popularly believed, the manage ment. But, in spite of the enthusiasm shown by the Island governments and the expenses spent on meetings, nothing really concrete ever came out of the PIPA sub-committee.

The concept of a regional line was not allowed to die, however, and the establishment of the Forum kept it alive. SPEC was entrusted with the task of looking into ways in which the regional line could be established on a sound economic basis. But as time went on it became more than ap parent that the line would not be a viable one. Thus, in the draft memorandum of agreement sub mitted to the Forum meeting at

Nauru, it says in its list of objectives that the line should “operate so far as possible on a viable basis”. This is a commendable though not entirely acceptable view.

But the deviation, from the original intention that the line will be es tablished only if its viability can be virtually guaranteed, to one of “operate so far as possible on a viable basis” requires some analysis.

Firstly, it appears that the SPEC authors of the memorandum are fear ful that the various problems faced by Air Pacific, the regional airline carrier, due to some member coun tries being obsessed with plans for their own national lines will also worry the proposed shipping line.

The hassles and wrangles over Air Pacific have been so bad that the ap

parent fears implied by SPEC in the memorandum of agreement cannot be ignored.

It is heartening to see that at least some people are convinced that there is little point in carrying on with the myth that Air Pacific is a successful product of regional co-operation. As a regional carrier, Air Pacific is a failure and this is what happens to communal ventures in which the par ticipating nations supposedly co operative give only token support to them while being more concerned with launching and nurturing their own national enterprises.

Countries which already own their shipping lines will naturally be reluc tant if the proposed line ever becomes a threat to their own national lines.

Another factor which appears to be worrying SPEC and some Forum members is the rather sad history of the Tongan national line, the Pacific Navigation Company Limited. Over recent months, it has become quite clear that it will only be a matter of time before the Tongan line will be liquidated. It is not clear whether the Nauru Line has been running profitably or not, but the answer to such a question is, in this connection, rather immaterial since Nauru can af ford heavy losses as it does in relation to its airline.

Apart from the threats from within, the proposed shipping line will have to face the problems of dealing with militant maritime unions of New Zealand and Australia which would be concerned about reduced employ ment opportunities for their members.

And let us be honest about it, the successive New Zealand and Australian governments have had more than their fair share of troubles with maritime unions.

The Prime Minister of Fiji, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, was on target in

this connection in an angry outburst at the Australian representative at the Forum meeting in Tonga last year when the latter appeared to disagree with Ratu Mara over his complaint about the difficulties that island ship ping companies were having, and still have with maritime unions in Australia and New Zealand.

The idea of a regional shipping line is a very fine one. Unfortunately, with the national feelings among Pacific Islands governments being so strong, the idea is a fine one in theory only.

I, personally, cannot see the proposed regional shipping line being given a fair go by all the member countries. Nationalism in the islands is too strong for the Islands’ own good.

The faint success that PI PA achiev ed during its existence lends support to my contention. The frank outburst of the flamboyant Prime Minister of Western Samoa, Tupuola Efi, at the last Forum meeting, is a fair indica tion of the tendency for regional groupings to discuss a lot of things and yet take very few decisions.

The angry outburst of the Prime Minister of Fiji in recent months about the lack of regional co operation in respect of Air Pacific cannot be pushed into the background in considering the pros and cons of es tablishing a regional shipping line.

To some, the sentiments expressed in this article may appear to be on the defeatist side. I believe, however, that the time has come for the Pacific with its limited resources to look at things more critically and more realistically before taking the final plunge.

Events may turn out to prove my sentiments wrong and if that happens, then and only then, can I say that there is regional co-operation among the Island nations of the Pacific.

Death Grounds

Mission Planes

The Mission Aviation Fellowship, which operates 11 aircraft in Papua New Guinea, was grounded in September by the Minister for Transport, Mr B. Jephcott.

His decision followed a series of mishaps over the preceding four months which killed eight people and destroyed or seriously damaged four MAF aircraft.

The Fellowship, an international organisation with its regional head quarters in Melbourne, provides air

support for missions in developing countries.

The ban will remain in force “until the checking and training organisa tion required under the civil aviation regulations is of an acceptable stan dard”. Only officially approved mer cy flights will be permitted for the duration of the ban.

A spokesman for the Fellowship said there would be a “flat out” attempt to meet the requirements of the PNG civil aviation authorities, and it was hoped that MAF would be back in the air in a week or so.

Thousands of people in remote PNG communities would be deprived of access to the outside world by the ban, he said.

Hawaiian Airlines

Want To Fly Pacific

There are glum faces around the Honolulu headquarters of Hawaiian Airlines Inc as the fact is digested that the airline has almost certainly missed out again in the latest of its many attempts to go international.

Although at time of writing no final decision has been handed down, the course of the argument in Washington before the US Civil Aeronautics Board on Hawaiian’s application to fly to San Francisco and Los Angeles and American Samoa and Fiji gave practically no ground for hope.

Hawaiian’s application showed considerable originality. It did not seek to serve Auckland and Sydney, apparently believing it would have dif ficulty securing landing rights in those places.

It also noted that service to American Samoa and Fiji at present is poor because through-flights to and from Australia stop at those islands in the middle of the night. Hawaiian argued that no-one has adequately tried to promote tourism from the US West Coast to American Samoa and Fiji.

Because Hawaiian is not a member of the International Air Transport Association and does not have to charge IATA-approved fares, it proposed low-cost vacation packages for American Samoa and Fiji, backed by a huge promotional campaign. Ad ditionally, by not seeking to go to Australia, Hawaiian reasoned that it would not be adding to Pan Am’s woes, for which it should receive the CAB’s thanks.

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But the administrative law judge sitting on the case would have none of it. He claimed that Hawaiian’s traffic projections were “considerably over stated”, that there is no need for an additional carrier between the US mainland and Honolulu, and that there is no need for “competitive air service on a truncated South Pacific route between Honolulu and American Samoa and Fiji”.

This ruling apparently eliminated Hawaiian as an applicant in the case.

The judge’s recommendation was that the new route award to fly from the West Coast ot Australia and New Zealand, in competition with Pan Am, Qantas and Air New Zealand, should go to Continental Airlines.

Hawaiian had previously made un successful applications for inter national routes in 1935, 1946, 1959, 1966 and 1974.

Leaking Gas

Bottle Kills Four

A September explosion in a Papua New Guinea government ship which killed four people and injured 16 oc curred when the ship’s diesel engine ingested propane gas instead of air.

Marine investigators reported that the propane had come from a leaking gas bottle in the galley of the ship, the Rouna Falls. The gas is used for cook ing.

The circumstances are to be the subject of a formal marine safety in quiry, which may lead to a maritime inquiry under the PNG Merchant Shipping Act.

The ship was carrying members of a women’s netball team, who were returning home after a sports meeting, when the explosion occurred northwest of Madang. • Longest cruise in P & O’s April- December Island cruise programme for 1977 leaves Sydney on June 6 for 18 nights, calling at Brisbane, Honiara, Suva, Savusavu, Vavau, Nukualofa and Lautoka. The two new ports added to P & O’s itinerary in 1976, Santo and Apia, will again feature next year. There will be one call at Apia in the cruise leaving Sydney on May 22, and five calls at Santo in May, June, August, September and on January 2, 1978.

Other South Pacific ports featuring in P & O cruises include Vila, Noumea, Bay of Islands (NZ), Auckland and Pago Pago.