Steamships, Brambles

Ships

Steamships, Brambles win big Ok Tedi deal

Main beneficiaries of a joint contract worth 5A40.6 million awarded by the giant Ok Tedi copper-gold project in Papua New Guinea are PNG's Steam ships Trading Company, and the Australian-based transport firm Brambles Holdings.

Bidding for the contract was fierce. with unsuccessful tenderers including Burns Philip. Karlander. Pacific and Orient, and Papuan Shipping and Stevedoring.

The deal covers the construc tion phase of the mine up to March. 1984.

It is believed to be the largest single contract yet awarded in PNG. Steamships’ managing director Don Harvey told the PNG weekly. The Times of Papua New Guinea , that win ning the battle of the Ok Tedi tenders had cost the company ‘more than K2OO 000 in time and money'.

Outlining the task of the successful tenderers in an article in The Times of PNG , journalist Rowan Callick writes: ‘Brambles will arrange for all construction materials from Australia and New Zea land to the point of placing them on board ship. Steamships will handle all freight from the time it enters harbour in PNG. ‘Steamships began operating in PNG in 1924, and has been involved in shipping up and down the Fly River for 20 years.

'From Steamships’ end, the contract means trans-shipping materials, including heavy ma chinery needed for the con struction work, in Port Moresby, and taking it to Kiunga, the port for the mine. ‘This will be mostly done by “lightering" transferring di rectly from the importing vessel to “dumb” barges, which will be towed by lugs to Kiunga.' Callick estimates that at the peak of the operation up to seven lugs and 13 barges will be in use on the contract, ferrying a total of more than 250 000 tonnes of material to the mine site.

As the draught limit for vessels navigating the Fly up to

Kiunga is less than three metres, only shallow craft such as barges can be used. Callick points out that the Steamships vessel Hiri Chief was designed five years ago 'with half an eye on recommendations from Kcnnccolls, then working on Ok Tedi .. . Hiri Chief can and does navigate the Fly.

Callick notes that as a side benefit from the contract.

Steamships will be hoping that the vessels Papuan Chief and Coral Chief for which they are agents, will gel some of the business of transporting equip ment between Australia and

Png.

Tuvalu seamen

get 50 jobs

Fifty Tuvaluan seamen, gradu ates of the Tuvalu Maritime School, have been offered jobs by two Hong Kong-based ship ping companies. According to Tuvalu News Sheet , the com panies are Swire Pacific Ship Management Ltd, and the Wallem Shipping Co. The Swire Group company offered 27 jobs, and Wallem 23.

Negotiations leading to the offers were conducted in Hong

Kong by Tuvalu’s Secretary to Government lonatana lonatana, and the Officer-in- Charge of the Maritime School Jerry Gallon.

The News Sheet report said: The meeting between the two parties discussed among many other issues the interest of the companies in registering their ships here as well as providing assistance for the establishment of. registration facilities in Tuvalu.

'The staffing situation at the School at Amatuku was also discussed, and the shipping companies agreed to provide the required staff on condition that Tuvalu is able to meet salaries and other expenses in volved.’

The News Sheet report quoted Mr lonatana as saying: 'More opportunities for our seamen may become available if the first lot prove competent in their work.’

The first lot of five seamen were due to leave Tuvalu on December 20, 1981, and the second on January 24, 1982.

Forum Line’s

new service

‘Australia and New Zealand have decided to underwrite the losses of another ship for the Pacific Forum Line,’ said a December report in The Fiji Times.

The report, which did not

name the ship, said it will ply a run between Fiji. Tuvalu and Kiribati. 11 noted that these nations have been supporting the line, but until now have not received a service from it.

McKay’s up

rates

Auckland ship agents McKay Shipping Ltd late last year announced rises of approxi mately 10 percent in its freight rales to Nukualofa and Vavau (Tonga), Apia (Western Samoa), and Pago Pago (American Samoa).

The company said that the increases were made necessary by ‘the continued depreciation of the New Zealand dollar'.

The rises look effect on vessels starting to load on the New- Zealand coast on or after November 1, 1981.

Micronesia run

opens up

The Japanese shipping line NYK has begun a monthly service on the Japan- Micronesia run. The first sailing late last year was by the 3625-tonne multi-purpose roll on-lift on (RO-LO) vessel Jovian Bright. The vessel can load 142 standard six-metre containers or their equivalent.

Jovian Bright called at Kobe, Nagoya, Yokohama, Saipan, Guam, Truk, Ponape and Majuro.

The Australian National Line offers trans-shipment in the ports of Yokohama and Nagoya within days of the departure of the NYK service, and NYK will take cargoes from Australia to Micronesia on a through bill-of-lading basis.

Included in the cargo ca pacity of Jovian Bright is pro vision for 10 six-metre reefer containers. The company will consider placing additional gen erating equipment on board the vessel if extra reefer space should be required.

Ray Taylor (left), an experi enced Fly River ship’s master, has come out of retirement to help with the Ok Tedi freight project. With him is Philip Karaga, master of MV Erima Chief in the Steamships Trading Company fleet.