Papua New Guinea: Highlands Earthquake Situation Report No. 5 (as of 29 March 2018)

reliefweb.int
March 29, 2018

This report is produced by the National Disaster Centre, the Office of the Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Coordination and Assessment (UNDAC) Team in collaboration with humanitarian partners.
 It was issued by the Disaster Management Team Secretariat. It covers the period from 21 March to 26 March 2018. The next report will be issued on or around 5 April 2018.

Background

• Parliament passed two bills on 27 March 2018, formalising the State of Emergency and establishing a Restoration Authority for earthquake-affected provinces.

• UN and partners issued their initial earthquake response plan, calling for US$ 62 million to provide life-saving assistance and kick-start early recovery for 270,000 people in earthquake-affected areas. Of this, $9.2 million has been met from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

• Initial assessment results indicate that 73 per cent of earthquake affected areas are accessible by road, while 27 per cent require alternate approaches.

• Of 67 health facilities in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces damaged by the earthquake, 73 per cent are now open.

270,000 people in need of assistance

$62M funding required

58,677 people have received food assistance

280 hygiene kits distributed at family care centres in Tari

50 metric tons of relief items transported or stored

Situation Overview

On 27 March 2018, the Parliament passed two bills formalising the State of Emergency in earthquake-affected areas and establishing a Restoration Authority for the affected provinces.
The first bill formalised the State of Emergency initially declared by Prime Minister on 2 March 2018, while the second establishes the WESH Restoration Authority, covering Western, Enga, Southern Highlands, and Hela, as well as parts of West Sepik and Gulf provinces.
 The Restoration Authority will have similar functions and legal provisions to the Gazelle Restoration Authority, which was established to manage recovery and reconstruction in the wake of the 1994 volcanic eruptions on the Gazelle Peninsula (East New Britain province) and which is considered a best practice for comprehensive and long-term recovery and reconstruction in Papua New Guinea.
The Prime Minister indicated that the Restoration Act’s primary attention was rebuilding infrastructure and resettling people displaced by the earthquake, and that the Authority’s focus would be recovery and restoration of impacted social and economic infrastructure and services within the affected provinces.
The terms of the Restoration Act establish the Authority for a four-year period with a budget of K450 million initially allocated by the Government.
On 28 March, the Disaster Management Team (DMT) issued its initial earthquake response plan, which focuses on providing life-saving assistance and helping to re-establish basic services for 270,000 people in need of immediate assistance due to the 26 February 2018 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks and landslides.
The response plan, which supplements Government-led relief and recovery efforts, also aims to help restore livelihoods and self-reliance of affected people, and provide safety and protection for the most vulnerable, including women, girls, boys and men and persons living with disabilities.
It calls for US$ 62 million to support urgent action in seven areas, including Food Security; Health and Nutrition; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; Shelter; Protection; Education; and Logistics Coordination.
Sector-specific detail on priority response activities is provided below. According to the results of an initial Early Recovery Cluster assessment, 73 per cent of areas in which affected populations are located can be accessed by road, although some of people may not be able to access roads due to other factors (e.g., local conflict, terrain, etc.).
For affected populations in the other 27 per cent of affected areas, alternative approaches are required as road-based assistance or the use of commercial activities to deliver aid are not likely to be effective.
 Challenges related to physical access, as well as security considerations, remain a crosssectoral concern that is affecting the delivery of assistance, particularly in remote areas accessible only by helicopters and/or small planes.
Some affected communities are yet to be reached by response efforts, with many having moved to informal sites locally referred to as care centres.
Water collection and storage systems, health facilities and schools have been damaged and destroyed in affected areas, compromising the affected population’s access to basic services and increasing the risk of epidemic-prone diseases and malnutrition.
 Damage to household gardens and reduced market access due to damaged roads has increased the risk of food insecurity.

Oldest tree kangaroo In US, originally from PNG, dies At Roger Williams Park Zoo

by Talia Blake, ripr.org

The oldest Matschie’s tree kangaroo in the country, Paul (pictured), has passed away due to complications from heart issues at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.
Paul was 23 years, 5 months and 5 days old.

The zoo said the median life expectancy for this species in a zoo is about 13-14 years of age.
“It is a great testament to the love and care Paul received from his keepers, and veterinary staff that he lived such a long life,” said zoo executive director Dr Jeremy Goodman in a statement.
According to the zoo, Paul was born in October 1994 at the Metro Zoo in Miami, FL.  He then joined the Roger Williams Park Zoo family in 1997.
Goodman says there are only about 2,500 to 3,000 Matschie’s tree kangaroos in the wild population.
They are an endangered animal due to habitat loss from logging, oil and mineral mining and exploration.
The Matschie’s tree kangaroo is native to the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea and the nearby island of Umboi.

Nautilus Minerals seafloor production vessel launched

by GlobeNewswire, nasdaq.com

TORONTO, March 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nautilus Minerals Inc announces that its production support vessel was today launched at the Mawei shipyard in China.

 The vessel will be used by Nautilus and its partner, Eda Kopa (Solwara) Ltd at the Solwara 1 Project site, in the Bismarck Sea of Papua New Guinea.
Mike Johnston, Nautilus' CEO commented at the launch, "Today's launch is a significant milestone for the Company and the deep water seafloor mining industry.
"Mawei Yard has designed and built the world's first deep sea mining production support vessel, in cooperation with Nautilus and Marine Assets Corporation.

" This has involved much discussion, thought and innovation, to produce this magnificent vessel.
"The yard's efforts have been truly amazing, and I would like to thank the management and team at Mawei Shipbuilding for the terrific work that has been done to get the vessel to this stage of completion.

"We believe that mining the seafloor for much needed minerals will be a more cost effective and environmentally friendly source of obtaining high grade copper, gold and silver*.
"Nautilus further differentiates itself from others by having a 'first-mover advantage' which is protected by intellectual property and 20 patents.
"Once our new vessel is delivered, and subject to final funding, mining operations at 1600m water depth is anticipated to commence in late 2019."

*Nautilus Minerals seafloor production vessel launched Please refer to the NI 43-101 technical report dated February 27, 2018 titled "PEA of the Solwara 1 Project, Bismarck Sea, PNG" prepared by AMC Consultants Pty Ltd (AMC) (the "PEA Technical Report"), available at www.sedar.com and the Company's website: http://www.nautilusminerals.com/irm/content/technical-reports.aspx?RID=306

About the vessel

The production support vessel (PSV), which the company will lease from the owner thereof, provides a stable platform for operations using world-class dynamic positioning technologies to ensure it stays on location at Solwara 1 irrespective of wind and wave conditions.
The PSV has been designed for use in offshore construction and seafloor mining industries.

Papua New Guinea Cardinal speaks on climate change at college

by ARMANDO MACHADO, cny.org
March 28, 2018

Cardinal John Ribat of Papua New Guinea delivered an urgent message on “Climate Change, Sustainability and the Common Good” at the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
“Before it was a theory; now it is not a theory. It is a reality before us,” Cardinal Ribat said in his lecture.
 “Mother Earth is crying, and we have to do something. The whole of humanity, we all have a responsibility…We cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives.”
His talk reflected on Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical “Laudato Si (Praise Be to You),” calling on all people to care for God’s creation.
The cardinal’s presentation was held March 19 in the President’s Reception Room. About 65 people attended, including a freshman honors social entrepreneurship class, an environmental biology class and volunteers from several parishes.
While in New York, Cardinal Ribat also received a Loyola Medal from St. Ignatius Loyola parish in Manhattan, March 11 (CNY, March 15).
Papua New Guinea, in the southwestern Pacific, encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands.
 It is among the nations considered most at risk from the effects of climate change. Organisers said Cardinal Ribat has worked diligently to share the experiences of the people of Papua New Guinea, heeding Pope Francis’ call for more commitments in seeking solutions to climate change.
The cardinal’s presentation featured a short video that included a dire predicament in Kiribati, a Central Pacific nation made up of 33 islands.
“The sea level is rising; the country is extremely vulnerable. It is a very serious situation,” said a woman in the video about how climate change is affecting the islands.
Climate change is adversely affecting the livelihood of the people and threatening the existence of the islands, several people in the video warn.
“We know it’s coming; they need to migrate,” a government official notes.
Another issue Cardinal Ribat raised was mining on the floor of the ocean, which he said could damage marine life as well as the livelihood of the people.
Grace Barry, an 18-year-old freshman who attended the lecture, said, “This is all so interesting. I had no idea what was going on in the South Pacific…It was a very well-rounded presentation.”
Ms. Barry said she understands the faith-based concerns about protecting the environment.
Cardinal Ribat was elevated as the first cardinal of Papua New Guinea by Pope Francis in November 2016.
The archbishop of Port Moresby is the nation’s first locally born cardinal and the first cardinal from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
His lecture was sponsored by the college’s accounting, business and economics, philosophy and religious studies departments and by campus ministry.
 Co-sponsors were the Sisters of Charity of New York’s Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation, and the Metro New York chapter of the Global Catholic Climate Movement.

Information: Sister Carol De Angelo, S.C., director of Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of Charity of New York, (718) 549-9200, ext. 264.

PM O’Neill thanks France for disaster relief

Prime Minister  Peter O’Neill has thanked the government of France for its recent shipment of food supplies to assist earthquake victims in the Highlands.

Papua New Guinea’s gratitude for relief support was conveyed by the prime minister to the new French Ambassador, Philippe Janvier-Kamiyama, in Port Moresby this morning.

“We thank the French government for the shipment of tuna, bully beef and rice that was delivered to Papua New Guinea on a French Navy frigate,” O'Neill said.
"These food supplies are now being delivered to affected communities in the disaster area.
“France and Papua New Guinea might be separated by great distance, but this gesture is a demonstration of the closeness of our relationship.”
O’Neill said engagement between PNG and France continues to grow as the construction phase of the Papua LNG project draws near.
“Our Government is working with French company TOTAL S.A. and other partners to advance Papua New Guinea’s next major gas project," he said.
“This project will inject billions of dollars into our economy, and employ and train thousands of Papua New Guineans.
“All parties will continue to advance the Papua LNG project and create new jobs for our people.”
 O’Neill welcomed Ambassador Janvier-Kamiyama to his new appointment and wished him success during his time in Papua New Guinea.

“Ambassador Janvier-Kamiyama advised me that Papua New Guinea was his first choice for his diplomatic posting, and we welcome him to our country," he said.
“I hope his contribution further increases trade and investment between our countries, and that he also has the opportunity to travel throughout Papua New Guinea and have good experiences in our country.”

Touching down with relief in Fuma

PORT MORESBY– ExxonMobil PNG is continuing to support local and international aid agencies to provide support to earthquake relief efforts.
This week ExxonMobil PNG staff touched down by helicopter in the remote village of Fuma in Western Province.

 The earthquake rendered river water undrinkable, and flooding swept away canoes – cutting off the only mode of transportation across the river to reach their gardens – blocking access to food.
No roads lead to Fuma; supplies can only be delivered by air.
  Food water, tarps solar lights, along with Mum/baby kits provided by the New Zealand government, were included in the airdrop.

The appreciation from the community, who had no expectation of help coming, was a humbling experience for the ExxonMobil PNG team. 

Why a Papua New Guinea company is taking over one of Alaska’s biggest oil fields

by Elizabeth Harball, ktoo.org
March 28, 2018

Before getting in to who’s drilling there and why, let’s make one thing clear about this oil field: the state of Alaska thinks it’s a very big deal.

Oil Search Alaska LLC President Keiran Wulff at the company’s Anchorage office.Photo by Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk

“Literally, if you line up the big fields up on the North Slope, this probably ranks third behind Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk,” said Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack.
Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk, of course, are the giant oil fields responsible for making Alaska the oil state it is today.
And on a chunk of state and native owned land west of Prudhoe Bay called the Pikka Unit, one company thinks there might be over a billion barrels of recoverable oil. Mack said the oil in this area alone could reverse the long-term decline in the amount of oil flowing down the trans-Alaska pipeline.
“If all goes well, it could lead to not only flattened production, but also increased production,” Mack said.
So last fall, when a company a lot of Alaskans hadn’t heard of moved to take over developing this oil field, it got people’s attention.
Oil Search is a company based in Papua New Guinea, a country just south of the equator and just north of Australia, where it also has offices.
An oil project in the Arctic may seem like an odd leap for a company from an island nation in the South Pacific.
But in a recent interview, the newly-minted president of Oil Search Alaska, Keiran Wulff, said the company is serious about its new venture.
“We see Alaska as a place of enormous opportunity,” Wulff said.
Wulff said its first planed development in Alaska could represent a significant investment for Oil Search — in the range of $4 billion to $6 billion.
 The company bought a significant stake in the project last year from its main partner, Denver-based Armstrong Oil and Gas, with an option to take over the rest of Armstrong’s stake if all goes well. (The Spanish oil company Repsol continues to own a significant percentage.)
Last week, Oil Search officially took over as operator of the field.
 That means when it comes to actually getting an oil development off the ground, Oil Search is in the drivers seat.
Sitting in the conference room of the company’s new offices in downtown Anchorage, which it now shares with Armstrong, Wulff makes it clear Oil Search is gearing up for what could be something big.
“We’ve just taken the whole floor here — we’re actually expanding so that we can fit over 120 people on this floor, and the majority of them will be Alaskans,” Wulff said.
So why did Oil Search come to Alaska?
 The company operates all the producing oil fields in Papua New Guinea.
 But the bulk of what it’s invested in there is gas  — it’s a partner in a major LNG project there — so the company decided it needed to balance its portfolio.
True to its name, Wulff said Oil Search came to Alaska searching for more oil.
“Gas projects — as the state’s finding out right now — often take many years to come to fruition, whereas oil projects are a lot quicker to market, so it’s very important for any company to have a balance between oil and gas,” Wulff said.
It might not seem like Papua New Guinea and Alaska have much in common. But Wulff said his company sees a lot of similarities.
“Papua New Guinea is one of the most challenging places to work on the planet.
" It’s very remote, very mountainous, there are no roads, there is no infrastructure to speak of.
"And everything has to be brought in on helicopters and such,” Wulff explained.
Beyond logistics, Wulff said Oil Search has experience negotiating with local communities living near where the company wants to drill.
 Wulff thinks in some ways, communities in Papua New Guinea and communities on the North Slope have similar values.
“[They are] very passionate about their environment, very passionate about their way of life.
"And so an important part there — and a strong analogy between Papua New Guinea and Alaska — is the commitment and passion of the local community to their areas, and that’s something you’ve got to respect and be very cognizant of,” Wulff said.
Wulff said Oil Search’s discussions with Nuiqsut — the community closest to the company’s first planned development — are still in their infancy.
 Kuukpik, the village corporation for Nuiqsut, has spoken in favor of the development, but records from public meetings show that some in the community have concerns about the project’s potential impacts.
“We’ve been doing a lot of listening,” Wulff said.
And that’s not the only remaining issue.
 Oil Search wants to drill a few more appraisal wells to get a better idea of how much oil it’s actually sitting on.
“Look, I think it’s still a long way to go before people understand how big this field is,” Wulff said.
 “Our company is quite a conservative company.
" We don’t over-promote and we don’t over-promise.
" Our style is much more to under-promise and over-deliver.”
Depending on whether and how all the details come together, it’s possible that by 2023, a Papua New Guinea company could begin producing from one of the biggest oil developments in Alaska’s history.