Offshore discovery from Papua New Guinea

Keli Taureka was raised in PNG, but learned the ropes on in California

By Rowan Callick Article from: The Australian

A GIANT within China’s highly-competitive energy world has emerged, intriguingly, from Papua New Guinea.
Against very determined global competition, Isikeli Taureka, Chevron’s country manager for China, has won the tender to develop a 2, 000 sq km gas field in mountainous Sichuan in a multi-billion-dollar project with PetroChina.
Papua New Guineans can be found in some surprising places, such as the vice-president for flight operations at Etihad Airways, Granger Narara.
But Taureka is the first to succeed in such a high-profile way.
“This is the big league,” he says.
Isikeli– known as“Keli” – Taureka graduated in economics from the University of PNG in 1976, and worked at the Bank of South Pacific, then owned by the National Australia Bank, for12years. The job included a spell in Melbourne.
Then he decided he’d “had enough” of banking.
“The capital market wasn’t very complex, and it wasn’t exciting any more,” he says.
His next challenge was heading the imploding state-owned monopoly telco, Post and Telecommunication Corp. He separated the two functions and then established PNG’s first mobile phone company as a subsidiary of Telikom.
“As ever in PNG, politics interfered in what should have been a smooth transition to corporatisation,” he says.
“Telecommunications were among the country’s crown jewels.
“I tried to slash costs and introduce greater accountability, but the unions objected.
“The vision of enabling grassroots people was lost.
“The country couldn’t progress while calls were costing more than one kina a minute.”
Taureka is delighted that private competition has recently, finally, arrived, increasing access and choice.
Then in 1995 his life as a global executive began– though he didn’t know it at the time.
Chevron, which owned large oil fields and prospects in PNG’s Highlands, headhunted him.
“That was one of the luckiest breaks in my life, to be employed by a great company.”
In fact, the world’s sixth-biggest Chevron liked what it saw of his work in PNG, and shifted him to San Ramon in northern California, its global HQ.
There, he became the planning manager for international exploration and production, and facilitated top management meetings.
“It was a plunge into the real world of big business,” he says.
“I saw how companies were run, the processes and people and behaviour required to achieve outstanding results– things you don’t get to see in PNG.”
After two years he thought he would be assigned back to PNG for good. ” It didn’t dawn on me that this would trigger an international career.”
Taureka did return briefly to PNG, but also looked after Chevron’s West Australian operations on Barrow Island. In 2002 he became a Bangkok-based managing director, looking after operations in Thailand, Cambodia and Bangladesh– reorganising things to confront steep production declines.
In 2005 Chevron acquired fellow California-based Unocal, whose Thai assets were its most important–and Taureka smoothed their transition into the Chevron fold.
When Chevron’s chief in China retired in mid-2006, Taureka replaced him and was able to hit the ground running, as he’d been working for sometime on regional strategy.
“We were in a head-to-head bid for the acquisition of Unocal with China National Offshore Oil Corporation, with which we had two joint venture offshore operations, so I went to China with some trepidation. But I now enjoy close relations with my CNOOC counterparts.”
Shortly after Taureka’s arrival in China, he led the team that won the tender to develop, with PetroChina, the Chuandongbei “sour gas” fields in Sichuan–the largest foreign involvement in the Chinese oil and gas industry. The government had insisted on the introduction of a foreign operator after an uncontrolled release of sour gas resulted in 200 deaths and forced 5,000people from their homes.
“It’s an amazing project for us.
“We developed a plan and won the tender in less than six months.
“That’s almost the speed of light.
“PetroChina wanted to expedite it too, because of the strong pressure for increased energy supply in China.”
Taureka was able to call on Chevron’s best resources and the company won the contract, for 49% of the project, which involves 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Wells have been drilled, reserves proved, funding arranged and the project is moving into full construction mode.
“We did not think we could do anything in China,” he says, because of potential resentment over the withdrawal of CNOOC’s bid for Unocal in the face of political opposition in the US.
“But the Chinese are pretty practical people, and they appreciated our experience in handling sour gas.
“We have had to prove ourselves, though.
“It’s not just ganbei (the Chinese toast at banquets).
“We’ve taken a very consultative approach.
“We hope to grow in China through o opportunities where we can offer technical advantages and also seek to work with our Chinese partners in the international arena.”
Today, based in a massive office tower in the heart of Beijing, he heads a fast-growing operational business with about 200 staff there and in Tanggu, Shekou and Sichuan.
Taureka says that being Papua New Guinean “provides counterparts, coming from this Asia-Pacific region”.
“When I walk in the door, they tend to think I’m South African or American.
“When I say I’m Papua New Guinean, things loosen up quickly.
“Chevron helped PetroChina drill its first well overseas, in PNG, and such links go a long way.
“PetroChina’s PNG manager then is now vice-president of CNPC, PetroChina’s parent company, and I recently took him to see our deep-water operations in the Gulf of Mexico.”
“It’s been quite an exciting ride,” Taureka says.
He remains a PNG citizen.
But he has become very interested in China and is building an awareness within Chevron of the possibilities of doing business there “across the value chain”.
The company already supplies liquefied natural gas to China out of Australia’s NorthWest Shelf field.
Taureka loves the energy business.
“The numbers are much bigger than most other industries.
“It’s strategic, it’s political.”
He has now recruited six top Chinese graduates– “building homegrown talent” – as he was once groomed in PNG.

Sukundimi, the great river god of Papua New Guinea (please click to enlarge)

Ownership of mineral and petroleum resources

By GREG ANDERSON                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 Executive Director

Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum

 

In recent weeks there has been a great deal of publicity and media hype promoting private ownership of mineral, petroleum and even water resources as a simple recipe that will solve all the issues of resource development and benefit distribution.  The Chamber strongly believes that the arguments presented for private ownership of resources are grossly misleading and simplistic and will stop any future resource development in PNG.

Ownership of minerals and oil and gas resources is currently vested in the State.  Despite the frequent use of the words “resource owners” in the media to describe landowners from mining and petroleum areas, the only resource owner in PNG is the State.

State ownership of minerals is vital to the development of PNG as a Nation.  State control of resources allows them to be developed for the benefit of all citizens as required by the Constitution.  The resources are managed in an effective and orderly manner that is recognised internationally and accepted by the investor.  Private ownership of minerals means that a few lucky individuals could expect to become rich at the expense of the rest.  Papua New Guinea cannot develop as a Nation under these conditions; it would splinter into groups driven by self interest.  

An exploration tenement gives the holder the right to explore for minerals or oil and gas which is an expensive and high risk activity.  The explorer’s only security is the tenement and the guarantee provided by the State that the explorer will have the right to develop any discoveries made on the tenement in accordance with requirements and obligations set by the State.  If any potential explorer believes that the State will not, or cannot, provide this guarantee with an acceptable risk profile then the explorer will not invest exploration dollars.

The simple fact is that if a change is made to mineral ownership, exploration will die and there will be no new resource developments as the risk profile will be unacceptable to any potential developer. There will be a complete breakdown in the well established, internationally recognised system that underpins resource development in PNG.  There will be no benefits for anyone.

Whilst landowner support and agreement is integral to all current projects the State owns the resource and it issues a production licence over those resources for the benefit of all citizens. This situation provides the ultimate safeguard and provides a level of surety and confidence to the investor.  PNG’s success in resource development speaks for itself.

Papua New Guinea has one of the most equitable benefit sharing systems in the world for mining and petroleum developments.  The country has developed a formula for benefit sharing which is unique on a worldwide basis.  It includes the National Government, affected Provincial Governments and Local Level Governments, and the impacted communities.  Whilst the law states that the minerals belong to the State the benefit distribution clearly recognises the unique Melanesian cultural and traditional affinity to the land by prescribing a suite of benefits to the affected landowners.

The real issue with resource development in PNG is the lack of governance and transparency associated with the use of the benefits generated from resource development.  Change in ownership will not address this problem, it requires a fundamental shift in the way that governments and landowner leaders manage, utilise and distribute resource benefits and the way they report on this to their respective constituents.  It requires a major shift towards transparency, integrity and openness.

The National Government, Provincial Governments, and leaders of landowner companies and organisations need to regularly and comprehensively explain to their constituents the value of the benefits they receive and how they have been utilised.  For example, why is it that Provincial Governments that have received hundreds of millions of Kina rarely explain to the people the existence of these funds, let alone what has been achieved with them, or what are the plans for future expenditure and investment.  Where are the audited reports for the public to view? Similarly, many landowner companies have not produced annual reports, held regular meetings or conducted election of office bearers.

The Chamber firmly believes that private ownership of minerals is not a way forward for PNG. PNG equity in the country’s resource sector is growing year by year through investment by the Government, landowners, superannuation funds and individuals buying shares through the Port Moresby Stock Exchange.  If mineral ownership was privatised the fundamental question that investors would ask themselves is am I prepared to risk my money in a company operating in PNG. The answer that all investors will come up with is no, the risk is totally unacceptable. All Papua New Guineans know the greed and conflict that would arise.

The Chamber is opposed to any move to change State ownership of mineral and oil and gas resources to enrich a handful of fortunate landowners at the cost of all Papua New Guineans

Thought for today

From PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia 

 THE KITCHEN TABLE

There are lots of things wrong with Australia today,
And I'd like to have something to say if I may.
You know that, forsooth, our problem with youth, Untidy, ill-mannered,
untamed and uncouth,
Is the fact that their home life.
is so often unstable,
And it's all for the lack of a kitchen table.

Remember,
How once we would sit down as one,
Dad would say grace,
when the carving was done.
With our own serviettes from our own special rings,
And we all knew our manners and etiquette things.
Then our elders would tell us of custom and fable,
When we all sat about at our kitchen table.

Now, they're building new mansions,
with 4-car garages.
Our working lives,
mortgaged to interest and charges.
There's less time at home,
for the tea to be made,
And it's seldom today, that a table is laid.
There's room after room under gable and gable,
But there's not enough room for a kitchen table.

At weekends, the parents are chauffeurs unpaid,
No wonder they're tired and their tempers are frayed,
As they ferry their broods to arenas of sport,
Where the culture of winnings intensively taught,
And there's more on the tele,
both free and by cable,
So, there's no room for talk,
around the kitchen table.

Karl Marx called religion,
the drug of the people,
But there's scant regard now for the church or the steeple,
Just give 'em more sport and don't let 'em think,
And keep 'em away from the kitchen sink.
We'll give 'em more sport and the culture of Babel,
The throwaway culture that threw out the table.

With the culture of rap and their baseball caps,
There'll soon be no fellers, no chaps and no guys.
When they all dress the same,
then it's little surprise,
that the girls swear as much,
and as foul as the blokes.
So we grandparents must,
just as long as we're able,
Keep our culture alive,
around the kitchen table.

Sway to the tapioca dance from the Trobriand Islands of the Milne Bay province, Papua New Guinea

Pilot’s wife and children wait for answers about crash

Widow Betty Kuyei Kaines surrounded by children Chris Kaines Jr, Emerald, Story and Answer admire a picture of their pilot husband and father Chris Kaines in today’s The National.

The grieving widow and children of pilot Chris Kaines today made an emotional plea to the Civil Aviation Authority to release details of the plane crash which killed her husband on Aug 7, 2008.
Betty Kuyei Kaines, surrounded by her three daughters Emerald (seven), Answer (five) and Story (two), told of the heartbreak of losing their husband and father and of waiting for answers about his death to no avail.
She also wants the operator (named), who has been elusive since the crash, to be questioned by police and relevant authorities.
Also present at the interview was Chris Kaines Jr, 17, the pilot’s son from his first marriage to Betty Komes.
As Mrs Kaines talked, the three girls pointed out excitedly to the picture of their father in today's The National, saying “daddy, daddy”.
Chris Kaines’ Jr, a quietly-spoken young man who is a spitting image of his father, said he was hoping to follow his father’s footsteps and become a pilot.
While all attention is focused on the Aug 11 Airlines PNG Twin Otter crash which killed 13 people, Kaines’ crash over the Kokoda Trail last year almost exactly a year ago to the date, remains uninvestigated.
Kaines, from Gassam village on Siassi Island, Morobe province, died in a mysterious Cessna 206 plane crash in the mountains of Myola, along the Kokoda Trail, on Thursday, August 7, 2008, on the way to Yongai in Goilala.
Details are sketchy; however, the general story is that Kaines, a very experienced pilot, was with two passengers when they experienced engine failure at Myola.
He successfully brought the Cessna down and saved his two passengers but was crushed in the cockpit; however, his body remained intact.
Kaines’ baby, Story, would celebrate her first birthday on Saturday, Aug 9, and he was looking forward to joining her for a party.
He, tragically, would never do so.
“It’s very, very challenging, especially to take up the role of both father and mother,” Mrs Kaines said as she fought back tears.
“For us to wait in vain for someone, at least someone, to give us a definite report on the crash is so painful.
“All we want to know is how he crashed.
“The Civil Aviation Authority should give us something, at least something in writing, so that we can be satisfied.”
Mrs Kaines is saddened that while last week’s crash has taken precedence over all others, with CAA chief executive officer Joseph Kintau saying a preliminary report should be ready after 30 days, while she and many other pilot widows and children continue to wait.
“When I heard them say that a report of last week’s crash would be ready in 30 days, I said, ‘wow, but what about Chris?’” she said.
“I feel that it’s unfair for the Airlines PNG crash at Kokoda to be given priority, just because it involved Australians, and they are rushing to produce a report upon demand.
“If they can produce a report for the Australians within 30 days, how about us?
“We’ve waited for a year!
“Our father was a local pilot, carrying local teachers from Port Moresby to Goilala, and his death didn’t attract much media attention, therefore, it has been swept under the carpet.
“At least we can have peace of mind if we know the cause of Chris’ death.
“They have to tell us whether it was because of a mechanical fault, weather, pilot error, whatever.
“To those families who have lost loved ones in last week’s crash and in previous crashes, their loss is our loss.
“We share the same concern as them, the anxiety of waiting for the body, of waiting for the sound of choppers and planes bringing in the body.”

Politics of landowners and extractive industry will worsen

By James Wanjik

Port Moresby, 19 August 2009

E-mail: jameswanjik@hotmail.com

 

LAND is a way of life for people in PNG. No love is lost when landowners raise land rights with intruders on their land. Panguna landowners warned the miners and minders for little over nine years. Failure by the miner and minder saw landowner grievance turn into law and order and civil strife. We as a nation lost 20, 000 souls. Panguna mine remains closed.

The story, “Gas plant closed” (Post Courier, Tuesday, August 18, 2009 p.1) is a wake up call. Hides landowners have been voicing their concerns on the LNG project for a while now. Teaching us lesson was Panguna mine. The mine was forcefully developed because it was to underwrite PNG’s independence. It did. But it was unsustainable from intergenerational landowners’ perspective. Now LNG is being rushed to underpin 2050 National Strategic Plan. Total arrogant leadership is the beginning of destruction of our national unity.

Bougainville is now autonomous because leaders turned deaf when landowners called for review of Panguna deal. The Hides landowner leaders have been calling for the review of the LNG Gas Agreement of 22 May 2008 but the leaders are pushing on as if the LNG was a public investment program project. They are very powerless to stop to listen. Fear of losing popularity is the reason.

In Madang landowners of Ramu mine have taken out legal suits against the miner and minder. When ignorant and arrogant leaders come to their senses PNG would be powerless over China.

New Ireland Province has warned that they will not cooperate with minder of miners on New Ireland. The Governor is agitated by Puka Temu’s arrogance (The National, 17 August 2009, p.9).

Wafi landowners are very restless with the setting up of Land Titles Commission. Legal advice and role playing government business is working Wafi landowners to be agitated.

Porgera landowners are slowly coming to realise the lethal combination of miner and minder that moved Police without State of Emergency. While lawlessness is not tolerated, landowners will take on the Government as they inform international organisations such as, United Nations, Amnesty International, and Canadian shareholders of Barrick Gold.

Many similar landowner issues are simmering. Very soon some of these will hit the news. When they do PNG will be the loser. The reason is MRA. It has no duty to serve PNG for it is a counterfeit working for money only.

Tell our leaders to remove MRA now. It is the only right thing to do.

Unanswered questions surround August 2008 plane crash

Captain Christopher Kaines...his plane crash is shrouded in mystery


While all attention is focused on the Aug 11 Airlines PNG Twin Otter crash which killed 13 people, another crash over the Kokoda Trail last year almost exactly a year ago to the date, remains uninvestigated.
Several unanswered questions surround the death of pilot Chris Kaines, from Gassam village on Siassi Island, Morobe province, who died in a mysterious Cessna 206 plane crash in the mountains of Myola, along the Kokoda Trail, on Thursday, August 7, 2008, on the way to Yongai in Goilala.
There are several unanswered questions as to the flight plan given to the Civil Aviation Authority, the air worthiness of the Cessna, why the operator disappeared after since the death of Kaines, is there any truth that he was carrying mercury and a large amount of money when he crashed, and many more, including questions on the involvement of certain groups and individuals.
On remote Siassi Island, they continue to grieve the loss of a bright and ambitious son who soared over the skies of Papua New Guinea like an eagle.
Their commercial pilot son perished in a light-plane crash a year ago and yet PNG’s aviation regulators had failed to examine why the crash had occurred.
They wanted answers and there were none.
Ironically, this weekend, Kaines’ haus krai (house of mourning) at Waigani will be removed, as is customary, after a year of mourning, and at a time when Australia and PNG are still reeling from last week’s Kokoda crash.
Journalist New Cuthbert, who is the late pilot’s brother-in-law, said: “In fact, this weekend, I will get rid of the haus krai.
“I have allowed the missus to mourn her brother for 12 months and last month, she told me that yes, her tears have dried, and Chris’ body has become bones in the ground.
“I will make a traditional feast for my brother’s in-law so that laughter and merriment can return to us.
“I will also walk the Kokoda trail with Minister Chris Chris Abel and pass by the land where Chris went down, and from those peaks, I will fulfill the age old custom of my people to say to Chris: ‘It is done you can really rest in peace’.”
Reporters probing the crash last year hit a brick wall at CAA when trying to get information on the crash.
Kaines was a very experienced aviator, whose feats are the stuff of legend, including busting gun smuggling operations in Western province with police, once landing on the Hiritano Highway when his engine failed, who in 2006 year flew a private plane from the USA to PNG, and whose ambition in life was to buy his own plane and run a charter operation.
The procedure for a flight plan is:
- Each aircraft prior to departure to a destination needs to produce a flight plan to flight services of the CAA for approval;
- The flight plan states the flight, pilot, and all relevant details like destination;
- The control tower is responsible for clearing the aircraft for take off and monitors its flight to and from its destination; and
- If the aircraft fails to report, the tower raises the alarm and CAA organises the rescue.
In the case of Kaines:
- He himself did not produce the flight plan but somebody may have and deliberately changed details so as to have CAA approve the flight;
- The aircraft used was one that was used by trainee pilots;
- The operator (named) did have an airworthy certificate issued against the particular aircraft;
- It was to train pilots so whoever produced the flight plan stated himself as the flight instructor and Kaines as trainee in order to get approval; and
- No aircraft and pilot under instruction is authorised to carry passenger and cargo.
“(Named operator) was to have flown the aircraft himself as per the flight plan,” a source said.
“His name may have appeared as the pilot but let Chris (Kaines) on this flight alone.
“That is why when the aircraft crashed, information out of Civil Aviation stated that the aircraft had as flight instructor an expatriate and a PNG trainee pilot.
“Chris spells his name as Chris Kaines, which is very foreign indeed
“”But (named operator) never took that flight and according to the flight plan he was supposed to do so.
“We learnt this from Chris’s wife”
“The bottom line is that (named operator) deceived Chris and deliberately misled Civil Aviation into approving the flight plan and get clearance to make the flight.
“We now know Chris had already made several flights into the area before the crash.
“On the one before the crash, he reported a faulty radio.
“This was brought to the attention of a particular engineer with Hevi Lift who questioned this aircraft to which he was to install the radio.
“When he did he was told it was the one sitting at Nadzab because of some legal complication.
“But then he was also told that it belonged to Northwest Air.”
A year on, these and many other questions remain unanswered.

Papua New Guinea women answer the call of the air

You can fly higher than an eagle...Rachael Kaltia in an Airlines PNG plane

Like the great American women pilot Amelia Earhart, whose last port of call was Lae, Morobe province, on July 2, 1937, more and more young Papua New Guinea women are taking to the skies.
During the five years remaining in her life, Earhart acted as a tireless champion for commercial aviation and for women's rights.
Two of these young PNG women pilots, Rachael Kaltia and now Jannie Moala, answered this high flying call and like Earhart lost their lives in their love and passion for the air.
While all attention over the last week has been on Ms Moala, captain of the ill-fated Airlines PNG Twin Otter that crashed over the Kokoda Trail last week, Ms Kaltia was the first PNG woman pilot to lose her life while flying.
Ms Kaltia, 24, one of PNG’s first women pilots, was killed in an Airlines PNG Twin Otter crash in Goilala, Central province, along with Australian Philip Wiseman on July 28, 2004.
She was born on March 14, 1980, and completed her primary school at Kuma community school, Southern Highlands province, in 1993.
She went on to do her top-up at Biro top-up primary school in 1995.
Ms Kaltia continued her tertiary education and completed her Grade 12 at Mogol secondary school in Mendi, and was awarded an AusAID scholarship to do pilot training in Australia in 1999.
In 2000, she commended her pilot training in Avondale School of Aviation in Sydney and achieved a commercial pilot’s license (theory) and private pilot’s license.
She further graduated with a certificate in aviation (private pilot’s license) at Avondale in 2001.
In 2002, Ms Kaltia completed commercial pilot’s license, command multi-engine and instrument rating at Avondale.
Airlines PNG first employed her as a first officer in March 2002 until her tragic death.
Young Papua New Guineans, especially women, were urged in 2004 to take the life of the late Rachael Kaltia as a role model.
Airlines PNG then general manager Simon Wild made the call during Ms Kaltia’s funeral service at the Sione Kami United Church on Friday, Aug 13, 2004.
Mr Wild urged the congregation that whenever they saw an eagle saw by, “in our minds, we can see Rachael fly by, in a Twin Otter, with that fantastic smile”.
“We pray that Rachael has set a shining example for all Papua New Guineans, the professionalism she showed, the dedication, the hard work,” he said.
“The hard work Rachael had put in, in Australia, showed that she had the ability to get up there and stand, amongst not only other Papua New Guinean men, but among expatriates from all around the world.
“I put it up, amongst the next generation of Papua New Guineans and young girls, to set Rachael’s life as a role model of what you can accomplish by putting in that dedication.
“She was a true professional.”
Last Tuesday, PNG again lost one of its bright young stars, when Jannie Moala crashed on the Kokoda Trail.

Papua New Guinea's 'deeply-troubled and dangerous' civil aviation exposed

Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Foreign Correspondent tonight blew the lid off Papua New Guinea’s Civil Aviation Agency, with another expose about a deeply-troubled and dangerous industry, at a time when Australia and PNG are mourning the loss of lives from last week’s Kokoda tragedy.

Perhaps most alarming of all was the inability or unwillingness of authorities to investigate what happened after things did go wrong.

Foreign Correspondent revisited some of the glaring problems exposed in its 2008 report on the pathetic state of PNG aviation.

Papua New Guinea's only air crash investigator says last week's fatal Kokoda plane crash was an accident waiting to happen, and he cannot even visit every crash site because money is so tight.

Australian Sidney O'Toole, who runs PNG's Air Crash Investigation branch, told  Foreign Correspondent last night he runs a ludicrously lean operation, with a staffing situation which is "beyond critical".

He says he has an office, but no computer or dedicated fax; even now he has to use his own mobile phone on the job.

In the last year alone there have been another 12 air crashes and Mr O'Toole says he has not been able to make it to them all.

"Our staffing situation is beyond critical,” he said.

“When I use the word desperate, I mean how desperate is desperate - it's just ludicrous having one man."

Life was beginning to turn around for Mr O'Toole, with a new Accident Investigation Commission set up to get funds flowing.

He was dispatched to Canada to take an engine from a crashed aircraft back to the manufacturer for examination, which is where he was when the Twin Otter crashed near Kokoda.

"I can't be in two places at the same time," he said.

"I look at the resources and everything that have been provided by the Australian Government and there was absolutely, positively no way that our commission or the government of Papua New Guinea could respond in that manner."

 

Return to the fatal sky

Watch ABC’s Foreign Correspondent tonight for a programme which will blow the lid off Papua New Guinea’s Civil Aviation Agency, with another expose about a deeply-troubled and dangerous industry, at a time when Australia and PNG are mourning the loss of lives from last week’s Kokoda tragedy http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2655403.htm

Return to the Fatal Sky

Broadcast: 18/08/2009

Reporter: Trevor Bormann

To travel any distance in PNG, air travel is often the only viable option.

At Mount Hagen in the PNG Highlands a mother and father grieve the loss of bright and ambitious son who yearned to take the helm of an international airliner. Their commercial pilot son perished in a light-plane crash 2 years earlier and yet PNG’s aviation regulators had failed to examine why the crash had occurred. Glen and Veronica Kundun wanted answers and there were none.

“This is a life we are talking about! There must be an investigation. We must get to the bottom of it. Whether it is a technical fault, whether it is pilot error, these things have got to be known.” GLEN KUNDUN, FATHER OF PILOT PATRICK

Foreign Correspondent exposed a litany of failures and witnessed sloppy standards and seat-of-the-pants procedures. Some of the aviation outfits flying the PNG skies were plain dangerous others were largely unregulated and then there were questions about the requisite skills of pilots.

Perhaps most alarming of all was the inability or unwillingness of authorities to investigate what happened after things did go wrong. Insiders - frustrated and disheartened - spoke out.

“If we have a major prang here we can’t do a damned thing. Nobody can do anything. Now that is very serious.” SIDNEY O’TOOLE
SENIOR AIR CRASH INVESTIGATOR

Aviation insiders like Sidney O’Toole told us that over the past two decades airline safety standards had ‘fallen over the edge‘and some were predicting disaster. That disaster has come to pass with the loss of 13 lives in the crash of a Twin Otter plane enroute to Kokoda.

Foreign Correspondent revisits some of the glaring problems exposed in our 2008 report and importantly speaks again with some of the key identities who participated. Others in our story continue to mourn – including an Australian family who lost a loved one and who await vainly for answers.

New accounts and perspectives about a deeply troubled and dangerous industry – this time against the heart-breaking backdrop of the Kokoda tragedy.

 

 

Report on community coverage of the crash

From Bruce Copeland

 

Dear friends,
 I am sending this report on the understanding that if I were in Australia, I would appreciate some timely and responsible input on the Kokoda crash.
 There are three investigations taking place. There are those conducted by the Australian and PNG Government.There is a third conducted by the community through the media.
 The PNG media has been most professional and caring in this matter. But they quietly print reports that give the basics to aviation in the Kokoda area.
 The investigation was started by the media in reporting villagers hearing an aircraft in the gorge. Warren Bartlett stated that the airstrip should have cone markers. This is a day time strip. He was talking of fog.
 In Post Courier today there is one letter to the editor talking of lack even of the basics in navigational aids such as cone markers and windsocks and an HF radio.
 A letter to the editor in The National refers to the need to upgrade the strip that is covered with cloud and fog more often than not. The point is made that if measures are taken to lengthen and to widen the strip with other markers put in place, the crash could have been avoided.
 All people in Port Moresby are aware of the fierce storm that hit Port Moresby on the afternoon before.
 The weather report put the storm as covering the Port Moresby / Kokoda areas. Thick cloud would have covered the area as seen on the TV weather report.
 A blog on website refers to a female pilot flying up the Eora Creek Gorge as part of her return to Port Moresby.
 We do not have to worry about community input. There is accurate insight in the street. It is valid practice for any investigation to take note of the input from media coverage.
 There is no finger pointing except criticism of Government
which is routine for newspapers. Let us hope that there is focus on command and control in decisions to fly or not to fly.
 Those of us who trek including porters are quite horrified by the crash. I meet them in the street daily.
 
Regards,
 
Bruce Copeland

 

Port Moresby mostly self-reliant in fruit, vegetable production

Most of Port Moresby’s supply of fruit and vegetables comes from areas around the city and not from the Highlands, according to a study carried out by the Fresh Produce Development Agency.

The 2008 study, results of which were released last week, shows that 50,000 tonnes of the capital’s demand is supplied from peri-urban production – including the hillsides around Port Moresby - while 7,500 tonnes is either imported from abroad or comes from Central provinces areas with good road links.

The study, however, found out that annual demand for fresh produce in the city was around 140, 500 tonnes, about double the current supply.

Port Moresby is the largest market for fresh produce in PNG, however, prior to this study adequate market information about Port Moresby was not available to guide decision-making in production, marketing and infrastructure investment in relation to PNG’s fresh produce industry.

To fill the gap, desk research and market surveys of Port Moresby’s fresh produce market were conducted over a six-week period in August-September 2008 to generate information on how Port Moresby is feeding itself.

A central finding of this project was that the majority of fresh produce was supplied from sources local to Port Moresby and not from the Highlands.

“The volume of fresh produce being supplied from the Highlands into Port Moresby appeared to be decreasing while supplied from Central province and the NCD are increasing,” according to the study.

“The annual volume of fresh produce imported into Port Moresby in 2007 was estimated to be just under 7, 500 tonnes, comprising 2, 500 tonnes from international air and sea arrivals; 3,500 tonnes from domestic sea arrivals; and 1, 430 tonnes from domestic arrivals.

“Fresh produce production in the peri-urban areas was approximately 8, 500 tonnes during the dry season from the six surveyed settlement areas, which translated into a total production of 50,000 tonnes per year from all settlements.

“Most fresh produce was sourced from Central province and the National Capital District and very little was sourced from overseas or the Highlands.

“The total supply of fresh produce to Port Moresby was estimated at 57, 780 tonnes, with 7, 430 tonnes (15%) coming from overseas and rest of Papua New Guinea, and 50, 350 tonnes (85%) from peri-urban production

“Annual demand for fresh produce in Port Moresby was estimated to be around 140, 500 tonnes.”

The study recommended, among others, that more information on future demand for fresh produce in Port Moresby in the longer term was needed, including a full-scale household survey.

It also recommended more detailed research on sources and types of supplies needed to account for the shortfall between the estimated supply of 57, 780 tonnes and the estimated demand of 140, 500 tonnes.

 

 

 

The smells of Kokoda

http://sink.es/kokoda/

 

 

Tribute to Kokoda Track plane disaster

By James Wanjik

Port Moresby, 15 August 2009

E-mail: jameswanjik@hotmail.com

 

I was among seven young brave men who took on the track 25 years ago and our memories of test of will and stamina are still fresh.

Those who lost lives last week in the plane crash are people who will be remembered for having kind hearts helping people of Kokoda Track in their own way of selfless service of people.

 God of life will give them life in eternity.
Thank you and God bless.
 Walking the Kokoda Track is many people’s will and stamina put to the test.

Twenty five years ago I was one of seven young brave men taking the track World War II angels walked to help allied forces battling the Japanese Imperial Army.

PNG would have fallen into the hands of invading Japanese.

Recently when the invading miners wanted to mine the Kokoda Track it was the Australian Government that influenced PNG Government to reject renewal of the exploration licence in the interest of State of PNG.

On 10 August 2009 a plane carrying nine Australians, one Japanese, and three Papua New Guineans surrendered their lives to angels of life to be with God of life.

PNG will be now more true to their love for life.

Looking back 25 years ago Kokoda Track was ignored by our Government.

There were no organised trekking companies.

No book on how to do on Kokoda Track.

 No planes dropping rations along the way.

Our only support was now Member for Sohe, Anthony Nene.

Names of places along the track he knew.

It took us 4 and 1/2 days to cross over from Owers Corner in Central Province to Kokoda in Oro Province.

On the track we had real adventure.

The first day saw us put up a tent on the foot of Imita Ridge.

Rain was falling cats and dogs.

 Having cup of coffee in the bush with peers was like powering a dead World War II jeep.

The night walled us from problems in store.

The second day saw us trekking to Naoro river crossing.

We came to a place that led us to a tangent for good 4 hours.

We retreated to refresh our memories.

We decided to trek back to where we had got led astray.

 Having made the connection of our route we rolled down a cliff.

We found the crossing and made it on logs supported with cane vines.

On this day we lost our coffee bottle.

A member of our peer felt the fatigue of Kokoda Track.

We exchanged angry word or two and we let it to pass.

We were a team and we would remain as a team until we reached Kokoda our goal.

Something told us to be courageous under problem situation.

It was not long my bag lost its both straps.

 I had to shoulder carry from then on.

Then in less than an hour a friend of ours fainted.

We quietly sat down to divide up the contents of our friend’s bag to ease the burden.

Now problems and powerlessness looked like taking its toll on us.

That was when I volunteered to carry our friend’s bag and shoulder carry mine.

We were on track trekking again.

On the third and fourth days we trekked pretty well.

On one leap we had no water.

Local knowledge and keeping connected to nature helped us.

About halfway up the steep slippery climb we stopped to contact nature for help.

 We were rewarded with water from the bamboos.

On half day of the fifth we crossed the famous Templeton Crossing about 3 times at different points of the Track.

It was as cold as water from a refrigerator.

Literally we were made to feel lost of our manhood.

The distinguishing things of men had leaped into our bodies.

Such is the spirit of Kokoda Track.

Words will never wipe away the memories of Kokoda Track.

Politics of Kokoda Track is in the memories of many lost and living souls.

It is a worthy politics.

Politics where people of Kokoda will win.

Nene upheld ‘name’ Jesus Christ for help.

Real leaders of real people will come to help Kokoda people.

Kokoda spirit God Father is ever powerful and gracious.

May those who lost loved ones in last week’s plane crash be consoled by knowing that PNG appreciates many kind hearts who have made our country a blessed nation.

Dragon

From PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia

Feeding the cattle yesterday and out of the corner of my eye, I see a small movement. I'm being watched by a small dinosaur (bearded dragon).

In memory of those who died

From Bruce Copeland

 

We remember the young Australian men and women and Papua New Guinea friends who died in the air crash on unforgiving terrain on Kokoda Track on 11 August 2009.

They came like so many others to honour the memories of Australian soldiers who sacrificed their youth and their lives in this and other wars.

 In so many ways, they were like the Australian men who enlisted from 1939.

They came from same families, work groups, towns, schools and football teams and went to war as a group of mates.

Women died in war too.

 This group of trekkers like so many others was a family and work group affair.

This makes loss so much harder to bear.

 They will not be forgotten.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, let us remember them too.

They are the children and grand-children of World War 2.

Our sincere condolences are offered to the families who have suffered this loss.

Sepik River Crocodile Festival a success

Villagers from Puruknawi village along Sepik River carrying a saltwater crocodile during the third Sepik River Crocodile Festival

Five-year-old Lester Dominic from Emas Village in Karawari along Sepik River carrying a saltwater crocodile during the third Sepik River Crocodile Festival

Story and pictures by LYDIA KAIA of WWF

More than a thousand of dancers, singers, storytellers and community members from villages across the Sepik region gathered in Ambunti in East Sepik province for the Sepik River Crocodile Festival, on Aug 11-12, joined by visitors from across the globe.
The two-day festival is now in its third year, and has been growing steadily larger.
This year, about 40 international tourists and journalists met with locals for the event, which combines a celebration of the region's traditional culture and environment with an opportunity to share information with often isolated communities.
The crocodile is a key totem animal, symbolising strength and power.
"Some of the villages in the Sepik are so remote that people spent one to two days traveling in canoes to reach the festival; about the same amount of time that it takes a tourist from the United States to get there by air," Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Sepik River programme manager David Peter said.
Peter said it was pleasing to see more interest from abroad in the festival, translating into more bookings for local ecotourism guides and lodges.
"Ecotourism has huge potential as a source of sustainable income for families and communities in this region, and the festival is a good way to showcase what the region has to offer," he said.
"WWF had staff on the ground working with communities and tourism operators to assist them to package their eco-tourism products, and then to promote their own operations and the region abroad.
“This is a good example of how conservation and sustainable development are mutually reinforcing.
"As long as it's well-managed and responsible, tourism can bring real benefits for local operators and communities."
A partnership programme links community-based organisations such as the Sepik Wetland Management Initiative and Help Resources with WWF, the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation and local-level governments.

Agriculture minister commends Fresh Produce Development Agency

Minister for Agriculture and Livestock John Hickey has commended the commitment by the Fresh Produce Development Agency to bring about tangible development impacts on the lives of 4.2 million people, which represents 85% of Papua New Guinea’s population.

His message was delivered at the launch of the FPDA’s five-year corporate plan (2010-2014) last Thursday by DAL deputy secretary Vele Kagena.

“The industry has progressed from an insignificant status to an important industry that is impacting on the lives and livelihoods of more than 85% of our population,” Mr Hickey said.

“Recent estimates have put the value of the fresh produce industry, particularly the volume of marketed fresh produce, to be K250 to K264 million.

“This is expected to further increase as the economic climate in the country improves with the commissioning of the LNG project.

“The actual value of horticulture and food crops is, however, estimated to be more than this, exceeding billions of kina per annum.

“This, therefore, warrants increased commitments by the government to the fresh produce sub-sector through the research and development institutions, and directly to the industry players who are persevering to provide markets for our farmers.

“In fact, the sub-sector has the potential to bring about broad-based and equitable distribution of wealth for our people.

“By improving the performance of the fresh produce sub-sector, we can address a lot of development issues and significantly improve on our development indicators, which are dismally poor.”

Mr Hickey, however, expressed concern that the plan should not become a “paper document which may be good at decorating shelves”.

“However, I am encouraged to learn that FPDA is already working on the next level of planning – programme planning followed by project planning – which aims to make this document a living document and not a paper document,” he said.

“I believe this is a very good step in the right direction as I am eager to learn about the developments in the industry that will be happening in the next five years as this corporate plan is translated into an action plan through the subsequent programme and project plans.”

 

 

 

No fruit and vegetable exports as Papua New Guinea continues to import

Trade statistics show that Papua New Guinea has no horticultural (fresh food) exports, whilst continuing to import, mainly from Australia.
The Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) dropped the bombshell at the launching of its 2010-2014 corporate plan last Thursday.
“This might be considered surprising, given the superior agronomic conditions available for a range of fruit and vegetables,” according to the corporate plan.
“However, the absence of horticultural exports can be explained by an unfavorable fruit fly status which prevents exports of fleshy fruit and vegetables; lack of information on PNG’s comparative advantage in fruit and vegetable production; and the country’s focus on export of traditional tree crop commodities.”
Likewise, there is minimal processing of horticultural products in PNG, with only one notable processor, Goroka-based New Guinea Fruit Company, which produces fruit wines, jams and dried fruit (samples pictured above).
PNG, fortunately, is a member of a number of regional political and trading institutions and has bilateral agreements with several countries, which can enable it to break into markets in the region.
Its memberships include Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), South Pacific Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement (SPARTECA), Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Economic Agreement and South Pacific Community (SPC).
The implications of the challenges facing the domestic markets and existence of trade agreements and partnerships include the need for PNG to:
•       Develop production, quality assurance and marketing systems and infrastructure for the domestic market as a springboard for export markets;
•       Focus on developing export markets for a few crops where the country enjoys comparative advantage, for example pineapple, pitpit, taro and ginger;
•       Build capacity and systems to respond to global consumer demands for organically-grown products, fair trade, food safety and affordable food prices in the face of reduced global supply; and
•       Understand and develop systems to address quality and phytosanitary requirements of potential importing countries, focusing on Asian countries such as Singapore and Japan with relatively less-demanding sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) regimes.
“The value of PNG horticultural imports from Australia was around K17 million in 2002,” according to the corporate plan.
“The largest single item was frozen potatoes (K3.8m), closely followed by apples (K3.6m) and onions ((K2.4m).
“Other significant items were peas in various forms (K1.7m) and oranges (K1.1m).
“The total volume of horticulture imports were: root and tuber crop imports – 2, 870 tonnes values at K7.1m, vegetables – 800 tonnes valued at K4.3m, fruit 0 1, 186 tonnes valued at K6.6m.
“These data show that, despite the 25-40% import tariff, PNG’s domestic market is relatively open to imports of horticultural products, most of which are produced in the country.
“There is, therefore, an opportunity for PNG farmers and other actors along the value chain to supply the formal market with horticulture products, provided the quality and prices are competitive.
“The role of FPDA is to facilitate this development by providing all value chain actors with market information and development of the supply and marketing system.”