By
MALUM NALU
Evening along the mighty Fly River, Western province.
It is 9pm on Friday, January 4, 2013, and somewhere
along the river, our good ship the mv
Sepura comes to a grinding halt.
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mv Sepura at Torro Passage, at the mouth of the Fly River.-All pictures@MALUM NALU
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I jump out of my comfortable, spacious,
air-conditioned cabin, to find out what is going on
Out on the cold, windy deck, the crew tells me that
we have run aground on a sandbank – just another day in the life of a Fly River
ship – and there is no need to panic.
We are on our way to Sturt Island in South Fly, 100
river miles (160km) from the mouth of the Fly, for the launch of the K19
million cargo and fuel carrier mv Fly
Explorer tomorrow, and then another 100 miles further upstream to Obo in
Middle Fly for the second launch of Sunday.
I’m dead tired, today being a long day of
travelling, and I crawl back into my blankets, but find that I suddenly can’t
sleep, and keep on wandering in and out of my cabin.
I flew out of Port Moresby at 1.10pm today with
fellow reporters Ancilla Wrakuale from Post-Courier, Fabian Hakalits from EMTV,
and Mackhenly Kaiok from Ok Tedi Development Foundation.
We arrived in Daru about an hour later, were met at
the airport by OTDF CEO Ian Middleton, and from there it was straight to Daru
wharf where we boarded a dinghy for the mouth of the Fly, for a rendezvous with
Sepura.
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| Ok Tedi Development Foundation CEO Ian Middleton, a young and vibrant PNG boy born and bred in Madang, Fabian Hakalits of EMTV, Ancilla Wrakuale of Post-Courier and me heading out of Daru on a dinghy last Friday afternoon for the mouth of the mighty Fly River to begin our 200-mile river cruise. |
Twas a glorious Friday afternoon as we sailed up the
Fly, all the while mesmerised by the beauty of the river, islands, villages,
and, of course, the poetic sunset splashing its golden rays upon this great
water way of Papua New Guinea.
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Then, a lovely dinner of rice and curried prawns,
where you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in some upmarket
restaurant, and not a ship heading up the Fly River.
Finally, at 4am on Saturday, January 5, some seven
hours later, we come undone from the sandbank and are able to rock and roll
& roll up the river again.
A hot shower, breakfast, and everyone is up on deck
early to watch the river panorama unfold before our eyes.
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Meeting house at in a South Fly village along the mighty Fly River |
Captain Noah Mossman, an officer and a gentleman
because of his naval upbringing, explains that Fly River boat captains have
many natural hazards to deal with, and to take a ship upriver is an art within
itself.
“We have to deal with so many things including
natural sandbanks, tides,” he tells me.
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Captain Noah Mossman in the wheelhouse of mv Sepura |
“Sandbanks, such as the one we encountered last
night, are things that nature put and we don’t have any control over.
“It’s a nightmare for every captain.
“It was a sandbank we encountered last night, but
the tides were not in our favor, which kept us stuck for so long.”
We meet Fly Warrior near Sturt Island and both ships
move upstream for the colorful celebrations.
Middleton commended the 156 villages that currently
benefit from the Ok Tedi Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) for their
decision to invest in the Fly Warrior.
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| Fly Warrior near Sturt Island |
She is the third vessel after the arrival her two
sister ships Fly Hope and Fly Explorer last year.
Apart from the three vessels, the CMCA villagers
also have two brand-new Twin Otter aircraft, both of which were delivered
towards the end of last year.
“I’m happy because you people of South Fly are
happy,” Middleton tells a cheering crowd.
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| Ok Tedi Development Foundation CEO Ian Middleton addresses the crowd, including children, on Sturt Island |
“I’m happy to deliver this vessel, your vessel.
“I’m very pleased, happy, and humbled at the effort
you people have shown in accepting this vessel.
“It shows that you are willing to accept change.
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| Villagers sing to welcome mv Fly Warrior to Sturt Island |
“You can create change and you can bring about
prosperity in South Fly.”
Middleton explained that their CMCA funds were held
in trust development funds and trust investment funds, with all villages having
a say in how these monies were used.”
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| Sturt Island welcome for mv Fly Warrior |
“That money is to make investments that go beyond
mine life,” he said.
“We have to spend the investment funds as soon as
possible so that we can make money for you
“All that money (from investments) goes into your
development funds.”
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| Beautiful Sturt Island |
Middleton said in the case of Fly Warrior, the 65m
bulk carrier would be on dry hire to Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML), and would be
generating a minimum 8% return per annum, and 32% residual, on a capital investment of K19 million.
“We have secured the vessel on behalf of the CMCA
people,” he said.
“It will be on lease to OTML for 15 years.
“The same principle applies to the two other vessels
and the planes.
“These investments actually work for your
development future.”
After celebrations, we take a look at facilities
around the island including OTDF facilities, the steep airstrip, and others.
As the Fly
Warrior leaves, the media crew takes a ride on a dinghy to take pictures of
her as she makes her maiden voyage up the Fly.
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| The brand-new K19 million mv Fly Warrior powers up the Fly River |
Then it’s back to Sepura, where we say our reluctant goodbyes to Sturt Island and the
wonderful people, and we resume our river voyage.
Nothing eventful, as everyone is tired after another
long day, but as we are having dinner: “Thud!”
We’ve run aground again!
And so, for the next few hours, as we retire to our
cabins, good old Captain Noah Mossman and his officers work on getting us
afloat again.
Early Sunday morning, we’re chugging up the Fly, the
landscape changing as we hit the massive floodplains of the Fly, which are rich
in wildlife.
We see many a deer – a delicacy for the local people
– standing on the banks of the river watching us.
Then, the moment I have been waiting for arrives, as
we arrive at the point where the Strickland gushes out to meet the Fly.
The confluence of the two great rivers makes me so
emotional, however, blame it on the rain, I can’t take good pictures!
A short haul up and we arrive at Obo, Middle Fly,
more than 200 river miles up from where we started on Friday.
Here, Western Governor Ati Wobiro and other
dignitaries including PNG Sustainable Development Program CEO David Sode and
OTML management arrive on one of the new Twin Otters, for the second launching
of Fly Warrior.
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| Twin Otter carrying Western Governor Ati Wobiro arrives in Obo, Middle Fly |
That done, the media crew hops on a chopper for a
ride across the vast flood plains and Lake Murray, the largest lake in PNG, for
Kiunga (where we drop off Sode for his flight back to Port Moresby), while we
continue on to Tabubil.
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| Fly River flood plains, Middle Fly |
To think that we have travelled from the mouth of
the Fly River near Daru to near its headwaters in the Star Mountains, a journey
of over 600 miles (965km), fills me with awe.
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| Fly River, Middle Fly |
Absolutely magical!
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| Fly Rivers runs through the river port of Kiunga |
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