PNG Ports responds to Lae stevedores’ strike action

By MALUM NALU

The operational changes implemented by PNG Ports Corporation Limited (PNGPCL) at the Lae port are not intended to take away jobs from stevedores but are aimed at improving transport communications and boosting productivity, according to chief executive officer Stanley Alphonse.

 The changes include the discontinuation of the use of stevedoring companies to clear overseas import and export cargo at Lae Port.

 The PNG Maritime and Transport Workers Union, representing over 1,000 workers at the Lae wharf, has threatened strike action after PNGCPL failed to respond to its demands by January 4.

 Lae is PNG’s largest cargo port and located at the start of the main road transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast.

 Strike action at the wharf would affect the entire country, especially large inland mining operations.

Rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes at Lae port, which stevedores claim has made many of them redundant.

The workers, who are employed by three major stevedoring companies—Riback, United Stevedores and Lae Port Services—are opposing PNG Ports Corporation plans to remove the import/export clearance or IDD docket from the stevedores’ main gates and cut jobs.

Alphonse said such changes had to be done “to improve transport communications between port stakeholders including stevedores, PNGPCL and transport companies with the intention of reducing truck dwell times within the port boundaries”.

He said the new procedure implemented by PNGPCL at its Lae Port was part of Lae port’s redevelopment plans and is in no way intended to replace the stevedores’ use of IDD dockets as part of the stevedores’ procedure in exercising this duty of care.

He made this comments in response to articles published in The National last week regarding threats by stevedores in Lae to go on strike over the changes made by PNGPCL.

“PNGPCL understands that licensed stevedores at the Lae port have a contractual obligation with ship owners and a duty of care for the cargoes they stevedore within the port,” Alphonse said in a statement at the weekend.

“However, the new procedure set out by PNGPCL will only apply to overseas cargoes and stevedores will continue to use the current system for coastal cargoes.”

Alphonse said PNG Ports had made an investment of more than K200 million in developing infrastructure at the Port Moresby and Lae ports, two of the most-important marine gateways in Papua New Guinea in recent years to boost efficiency and drive the economy forward.

“The developments we have implemented are in line with changes in port management and operations taking place in ports around the world,” he said.

“We have to change the way we do business in Papua New Guinea if we have to keep pace with the changing times.

“We are not taking jobs away from the stevedores.

“I want to make it clear that my office did not receive any communication from the union on this matter, however, in the spirit of cooperation, we will send a team to Lae on Monday (today) to meet the management of stevedores that are involved.”

BHP slams PNG government over Garnaut ban

By a staff reporter, with AAP
 

Mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd has hit out at the government of Papua New Guinea over an immigration ban which saw Professor Ross Garnaut resign from his position as director of Ok Tedi Mining Ltd, The Australian Financial Review reports.

Professor Ross Garnaut and Sir Mekere Morauta

 
According to the newspaper, BHP said in a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade document, that PNG's treatment of Prof Garnaut sent “a very bad message’’ to companies looking to do business in the country.
The miner also took aim at PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, accusing the leader of improper dealings in the granting of of exploration licences.

“He (O’Neill) subsequently blocked our lease applications and made it clear they would only be granted if we transferred our rights to the government," BHP said.
In November, the PNG foreign affairs department was instructed to prevent Professor Garnaut entering the country after the prime minister said the Australian was no longer welcome and accused him of insulting to the nation's leaders.
During a grievance debate in parliament a few days before the November decision, Mr O'Neill referred to a report in The Australian newspaper quoting Prof Garnaut as saying that with such an accumulation of wealth in PNG, it was "tempting for political figures to think of better ways of using it right now rather than putting it into long-term development".

Haven sign Papua New Guinea international Rodney Pora

News Star

WHITEHAVEN have signed a Papua New Guinea international – but the deal will collapse if he doesn’t pass an English exam.

Rodney Pora

Deal: Barry Richardson

Rodney Pora is the fearsome Test prop the club are poised to bring to The Recreation Ground and help mount a strong Championship challenge. He has built up a fearsome reputation for PNG in the Test arena including World and Pacific Cup internationals.
All that remains now is for Pora to pass an English exam which is a pre-requisite to gaining a visa.
He has already sat the tests but the results have still to come from Australia causing the delay in completing the deal.
Whitehaven chief executive Barry Richardson confirmed: “Rodney has signed for us and once he passes the exam there should be no problems. I spoke to him on New Year’s Day and he’s as keen as mustard to come.”
He has been a regular in the Papua New Guinea team for several years and is first-choice No 8. Richardson described Pora as “a big, rough tough forward who has a substantial presence on the field”.
And there could be a double PNG boost as Whitehaven remain confident of signing Pora’s front-row international team-mate who can’t be named at this stage. “Terms have been agreed, all the paperwork has been sorted out at this end, we are just waiting for him to get a visa in his own country. We are keeping fingers crossed,” said Richardson.
Definitely returning from PNG is Jessie Joe Parker to add his considerable force to the back division having contributed spectacularly to the promotion success. The deal is signed and sealed.
Richardson will meet him at Newcastle Airport on January 10. And landing at the same airport on Friday from Australia is speedy all-rounder James Cameron.
“We have recruited well,” said Richardson. “It’s going to be tough but if everybody pulls together on and off the field we can do well in the Championship.
“One way or another our pack is going to be stronger and more powerful than last season having already signed two other experienced props in Paul Jackson and Lee Paterson.”

In Port Moresby today

By MALUM NALU

Pictures of my wanderings around Port Moresby today.
We're 13 days into the new year, however, little seems to have changed.
It's a bit of a worry, especially with Port Moresby to host the 2015 Pacific Games and APEC 2018, which will be attended by the presidents of the USA and China, among other world leaders.
Time to change for the better, people of Port Moresby.

Most drains in Port Moresby are just about clogged up, with next to no cleaning being done, as the picture of this drain at Hohola today shows.-Pictures@MALUM NALU

Wonderful, shady neem trees along Wards Road, Hohola, today.

Great to see Ela Motors having nice flowers on the walkway along its Ward Road premises and I wish more companies could follow suit. People should also respect these flower gardens by not spitting buai and littering them.

If we want to host such events as Pacific Games 2015 and APEC 2018 - where VIPs will include the presidents of USA and China - we can't put up with such shit anymore, as seen along Mobil Service Station, Waigani, today.

Chamber expresses concern at state of roads outside city

By MALUM NALU

Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry (POMCCI) today expressed concern about the state of roads outside the city, starting from 8-Mile onwards.

Chamber chief executive officer, David Conn, said after an accident at Erima Bridge yesterday which held up traffic for up to an hour.

Vehicles lined up bumper-to-bumper, at 8-Mile, just outside the city, yesterday evening, both sides of the 8-Mile Bridge, after a CRV and a 25-seater PMV bus collided on the bridge.-Picture by MALUM NALU

He said this stretch of road had very quickly become the busiest section in the city, with the population from 8-Mile onwards growing expotentially, and a huge area being groomed for housing.

“The NCDC efforts in last few years have been commendable, but already population has caught up with the improvements,” Conn said.

“The whole section now needs urgent upgrade to a four-lane highway to 9-Mile.

“The Erima Bridge is already seriously stressed and is scheduled for replacement this year, but two lanes will be inadequate.

“The press of traffic at Erima now threatens the viability of our domestic and international airport.

“The new road through 5-7 Mile will ease this, but it is hard to see how the rehabilitated Hubert Murray Highway down through the Gordon Ridge settlement will help as it will merely funnel more traffic to the already seriously-congested roundabout at Erima Big Rooster.

“The obvious fix is to take some of the traffic from the west for the north of the city away through new connections: direct 9-Mile to Gerehu and Wildlife to Waigani.

“There are connections of sorts there already but these need to be upgraded so traffic can flow quickly and safely along them.”

Conn said the real fix, which it may be prohibitively expensive, was a flyover starting around Gordon Market right over the two Erima roundabouts as far as the edge of the airport runway past the Funeral Home.

“Through traffic would go straight over the current congested roundabouts leaving the bottom section free for easier airport access,” he said.

“Traffic in and out of the airport could also access this elevated section if they wished and this would have added advantage of giving some redundancy with two ways in and out of Jackson during times of emergency or maintenance.

“Add the long-discussed connection off the airport roundabout over Kookaburra Street to connect to Sir John Guise Drive with an offshoot past the Golf Club to North Morata, and we offer several alternative routes to the North and Waigani city.

“Much of this is doable - except for the Erima elevated section - in the near term and becomes pressing when we consider Pacific Games 2015 and the possibility of access to the Chinese Exim loan funds scheduled to improve infrastructure.

“We are encouraged to see some of this work up for tender by NCDC and we hope to see the work start in 2013.”

Traffic chaos at 8-Mile as two vehicles collide

By MALUM NALU

Traffic chaos at 8-Mile, just outside the city, yesterday evening, both sides of the 8-Mile Bridge, after a CRV and a 25-seater PMV bus collided on the bridge.
Trafiic slowed down to s nail's pace on both sides of the road and it took about an hour, with the help of police, to get normal vehicle flow.
Here are some pictues I took of the chaos brought about by the accident. 
It also graphically illustrates the increasing number of vehicles in Port Moresby and the need to build alternate roads and infrastructure.

 

Manam volcano: large explosive eruption sending ash plume to 45,000 ft altitude

Volcano Discovery

A large eruption seems to have occurred yesterday morning around 05:30 GMT from Manam volcano in Madang province.

Manam volcano (Credit: Wally Johnson /Australia Bureau of Mineral Resources)

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)  Darwin reported an ash plume rising to 45,000 ft (approx. 14 km) altitude.

A hot spot is visible on MODIS satellite data. 

MODIS hot spot visible on Manam (data summarised from past seven days, does not yet include the recent eruption)

For the moment, no precise other information about the nature of the eruption is available, as the island is remote and most of its population had been relocated after the last major activity in 2004.