Briefly
p. 67 · Read in the full issue
• Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airlines hopes to fly a service to New Zealand twice a week, starting in October.
The service will be via Port Moresby. Launching of the service depends on the out come of negotiations between New Zealand and the UK. which handles Hong Kong's external affairs. • A new local produce launch, the Itamaomao, 6.1 m. is now in service in the Gilbert Islands. The Itamaomao was paid for from
a grant of SI7B 000 from the UK Government towards the development of produce marketing in the group. It was built in the UK of fibreglass and has an inboard diesel engine. It will be used to col lect produce from farmers in North Tarawa. • The cable ship, Edward Wilshire, 2 500 tonnes, which has been based at Suva for the last two years, has been transferred to Papua New Guinea. She has been re placed by the Retriever, 4 200 tonnes, which has been in Honolulu for about a year. • Captain Arthur Cole, a Burns Philp master mariner,
has retired. He joined the company 23 years ago and was master or mate of various BP ships trading from Australia to Papua New Guinea. These ships included the Moresby, Montoro and Braeside. He was chief officer in the Bulolo for some years. For the last nine years Captain Cole has been Burns Philp shipping op erations manager in Sydney. • Seaplane Charter Services (Fiji) Ltd has been granted a licence to operate in Fiji. It will operate from the Regent Hotel, near Nadi Airport. Mr Robert Rutter, a Newcastle (NSW) solicitor, one of the directors of the
company, said the aircraft would be available for general charter flights, joy flights, and government charters, such as mercy missions and emergen cy flights. Associated with Mr Rutter in the venture is Mr Bob Ronan, who operates a seaplane service on the central coast of NSW. • A shipping barge, under tow by a launch, sank in heavy seas along with its cargo of Sl6 000 worth of timber in Bligh Water. Fiji, in March.
The barge was owned by Narayan Shipping. The timber had been loaded at Malau. near Labasa, and wasconsign ed to Lautoka.