Rate-setting caused

Ships

Rate-setting caused Forum Line reaction

A heavy emphasis on market

ing and rate-setting by the

South Pacific Shipowners As sociation is believed to be the reason why the Pacific Forum Line withdrew from the associ ation. This has become appar

ent, although not officially

stated, since the announcement in April that the Forum Line was getting out of the associ ation.

The shipowners association was formed only late last year and the Forum Line was one of its founding members. Then in April this year (PIM May p 73) the Forum Line an nounced its withdrawal, saying it believed it could be employed more usefully as an independent line because of

the ‘particularly diverse trading

requirements of the Pacific Islands’.

The Forum Line did not give detailed reasons for its de cision, but claimed that con

tinuing membership of the

shipowners association could in some areas inhibit the line

from carrying out obligations

and commitments to its share holders.

The shareholders in the Forum Line are all govern ments - Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and

Western Samoa. Although they

run their shipping line as a commercial operation, the establishment negotiations clearly revealed that the part ner governments see much more at stake. In addition to making a profit from the ship ping line the partners see the line as helping national

development, particularly for

the smaller island nations seek ing to build up export markets for their produce. Accordingly any rate-setting in the shipping operation tends to be inte grated with the national goals of the partner governments.

However the later-formed

shipowners association

emerged as a strictly commer cial grouping with a hard line

towards rate-setting and freight

marketing within the shipping

industry. It now appears that this attitude held a potential for conflict and the Forum Line decided to withdraw in favour

of full operating indepen

dence.

The situation has highlighted some claims that the Forum Line is politically vulnerable because of its effec tive dual aims. The line’s gen eral manager in Western Samoa, Mr Gordon Dewsnap, resigned earlier this year and left the position last month. In a public comment on his resig nation he said he was leaving as ‘a matter of principle’, but the Samoa Times newspaper claimed that political inter ference in the operation of the line had been a factor in the resignation. Mr Dewsnap, a New Zealander, had held the position for more than two years.

In Sydney recently the Chairman of the Forum Line, Mr Neroni Slade (Western Samoa) opened a new Aus

tralian regional office for the line. Other directors preseni were Mr J. Riechelmann (Tonga), Captain P. King (Papua New Guinea), Mr W.

Starr (Nauru) and Mr R. Shea (New Zealand).

Fleet Added

In Solomons

Solomon Taiyo, the Solomon Islands fishing company which links local and Japanese interests, is increasing its fleet size with the addition of two new catcher boats. The catchers, to be named Soltai Five and Soltai Six, have been acquired from Japan and are due to go into service this month. They will be able to range further afield than most of the catchers at present in ser vice because of the inclusion of

large capacity freezer equip

ment.

The total number of tuna catchers in the Solomons fleet by mid-year will be 23 six owned outright by Solomon Taiyo, 14 under charter and three from the National

Fisheries Development

Company. They are all engaged in pole and line fish

ing.

The two new catchers will be based at Tulagi and Noro. Five of the chartered catchers are to be replaced with more efficient craft later in the year, supplied by the Okinawa company which is already involved in the

charter operation.

Tightening

Security

The Fiji Ports Authority is tightening security in the Port of Suva in a move to reduce pil fering of cargo and to increase the efficiency of customs and safety controls. The move comes in the wake of stricter controls over the operation of ports in a number of Pacific countries, particularly in Papua New Guinea.

Traditionally the Port of Suva has been freely open to visitors, including sightseers,

fishing parties and people visit

ing ships. Later this year how ever strict security will be imposed and entry to wharf areas will not be possible with out authorisation.

Identity cards are being issued to port workers as part of the new move.

Fiji has also announced that it is about to introduce a new system of computing wharf handling charges for export and import cargoes. Known as the tonnage rate system it will take into account a wide range of variables in addition to the tonnage or measurement of the cargo being handled. The Ports Authority believes the system will provide incentives for fast handling.

Concern On

Exports

Western Samoa believes it is

losing export earnings because

of the effect of Forum Line shipping schedules on the

country’s produce market.

Fruit and vegetables from Western Samoan growers is shipped to Auckland in New Zealand by two Forum Line

ships, Fua Kavenga and

Forum Samoa, but under exist ing schedules the ships make several ports of call before berthing in Auckland. The growers claim that this delays the arrival of produce and lowers its value on the major New Zealand market. They also claim that the routes taken

by the ships add materially to

freight costs.

The Western Samoa govern ment has taken up the growers’ claims and is pressing for a re vision of the shipping sched ules. Reports from New Zealand recently indicated that the schedules and routes have been established on the most economic basis for all shippers and that no immediate change

is contemplated.

The Western Samoan gov ernment is also making sub missions to have greater financial and operational con trol of the line established in Apia. It believes that the pre sent arrangement involves too

much ‘remote control’ and is not in the best interests of Western Samoa which is an active contributing partner in the Forum Line.

New Strider

Fast Worker

Forum New Zealand, the newest addition to the Pacific Forum Line of container ships (PIM May p 69), has been

specially designed to handle

cargo in ports which have only a bare minimum of handling

equipment.

The ship is the New Zealand government’s contribution to the Forum Line, under a scheme in which Pacific

governments are making ships

available on full-time charter to the joint-owned line.

Forum New Zealand is of the Strider Two class, and is operating between New Zealand and the ports of Suva,

Lautoka, Pago Pago,

Nuku’alofa and Apia.

The ship can load any com bination of 12-metre, 10.5-metre and 6-metre con tainers.