Papua New Guinea LNG project resumes exports - data

reuters.com | April 16, 2018

SINGAPORE, April 16 (Reuters) - A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has left Papua New Guinea laden with the first export cargo of the supercooled fuel since the country’s giant LNG project resumed production after a major earthquake triggered a shutdown in February, Thomson Reuters Eikon shiptracking data showed on Monday.
The tanker’s destination wasn’t immediately clear, but the resumption of shipments could put pressure on spot LNG prices, traders said.
ExxonMobil Corp restarted output at the project near the capital Port Moresby a fortnight ahead of schedule, its Australian partners said late last week.
ExxonMobil did not immediately reply to an email requesting for comment on the matter.
The 172,000-cubic metre capacity LNG tanker Kumul, custom-built for the PNG LNG project, left the project terminal with a draft of 91 percent, suggesting it is nearly full, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon shiptracking data.
The Kumul unloaded an LNG cargo at the PNG terminal on April 4. It was anchored nearby until April 14, before loading the cargo from the terminal on April 15, the data showed.
ExxonMobil had said in early April that it had imported an LNG cargo to the project’s terminal in order ensure tanks at the PNG facilities remained cold.
Meanwhile the 170,000-cubic metre capacity LNG tanker Papua is currently anchored near the Kumul Marine Terminal, while the 165,000-cubic metre capacity LNG tanker Bishu Maru is headed to Port Moresby, the Eikon data showed.

Redcliffe account for Hunters

qrl.com.au | April 14, 2018 

The Redcliffe Dolphins overcame a spirited PNG Hunters side at home to claim their fourth victory in a row, winning 20-6.
The Hunters had come to Dolphin Stadium  with a point to prove; starting the game by moving the ball quickly in attack, while fronting up in defence.
However, it was the Dolphins who got on the board first after a penalty conversion by Kotoni Staggs in the 4thminute.
This didn’t stop the Hunters relentless attack, and they managed to find a gap in the line in the 9thminute after a grubber from hooker Wartovo Puara sent rookie winger Junior Rau in for their first points of the game.
The Dolphins, who seemed a little rattled by the Hunters fast start early, managed to maintain their composure.
It wasn’t until the 31st minute that the Dolphins scored their first try of the game thanks to second rower Scott Schulte, off a short ball from the hooker, Sheldon Pitama.
Redcliffe captain Cameron Cullen then regained the lead in the 36th minute with his try, giving the home side a 14-6 advantage at the break.
While the Hunters were fast starters in the first half, the Dolphins maintained their momentum after the break, when fullback Tony Tumusa continued his try-scoring form and scooted over the line in the 47thminute from dummy half.
Despite being pleased with his team’s defence throughout the evening, ball control was something that Mogg said the Dolphins clearly needed to work on throughout the middle of the game.
“We trained really well during the week. We were obviously pretty disappointed with the control of the footy, but defensively I thought we were good,” Mogg said.
“I think we’ve got a bit to work on with the footy clearly, I know we scored 20 points, our completion rate was really low but our effort and defence I’m really happy with.”
The Hunters were giving Redcliffe plenty to contend with all game and gave themselves a number of opportunities to score out wide during the second half and were happy to chance their arm.
With four minutes to go – they tried kicking on the first tackle, turning the play into a foot race between Dolphins fullback Tumusa and their wingers, but they couldn’t nab themselves another try.
It remained a heated game right down to the last few seconds, with the frustrations of both sides reaching its tipping point just before full time.
“I really thought that they (the Hunters) came to play tonight, they were really physical, so it was a really, really good game of footy,” Mogg said.
“PNG are obviously a fantastic team, and if you don’t get the defensive part right then you’re no chance.”
While it remains early in the season, Mogg knows his team still has some room to improve before September comes.
“Our focus is just to take each game as they come, trying to improve and I thought we improved defensively tonight.”
Next weekend the Dolphins take on the Cutters in Mackay, while the Hunters play Souths Logan Magpies in Port Moresby.

 REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS 20 (Scott Schulte, Cameron Cullen, Tony Tumusa tries; Kotoni Staggs 4 goals) def PNG HUNTERS 6 (Junior Rau try; Paul Bobby Jnr goal) at Dolphin Stadium. 

*Emily Clooney is a QRL correspondent covering the Redcliffe Dolphins 

50 days on, World Health Organisation continues to serve communities affected by PNG quake

16 April 2018, Port Moresby -- Fifty days after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea (PNG), limited delivery of essential health services has resumed in earthquake-affected provinces.

Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative to Papua New Guineas, immunises a child in the Southern Highlands. 

Credit: WHO/JRivaca

 However, thousands remain vulnerable to health threats as they continue to live in crowded temporary settlements with inadequate access to clean water and medical services.
More than 500 000 were affected by the earthquake that struck on 26 February. At least 25 000 people have been displaced, while many communities continue to face compromised water and food supplies, significantly increasing threats of disease outbreaks.
Of the 77 health facilities that were damaged by the earthquake, only 10 remain closed.
However, services remain limited at most of the re-opened health facilities.

WHO on the ground within 24 hours 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) was on the ground in the affected provinces within 24 hours of the earthquake. WHO immediately activated the Incident Management System to coordinate the organisation’s response.
“WHO responded right away, deploying medicines and supplies to the earthquake-affected areas to treat those who were affected”, said Dr Zhang Zaixing, Incident Manager from WHO. 
“Our people were out there in the field, alongside the National Department of Health and partners, assessing the damage to health facilities and working to re-establish life-saving health services.”
WHO has designated the earthquake a Grade 1 Emergency and has deployed additional staff and supplies to the Country Office in PNG.
To date, WHO has repurposed and mobilised 19 national and international staff for the earthquake response, covering areas such as partner coordination, epidemiology, surveillance, information management, health operations, mental health, risk communication, administration and logistics.
WHO also delivered an Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kit containing essential medicines, supplies and equipment for 10 000 people for approximately three months. Diarrhoeal disease kits were pre-positioned in the country to help prepare for a potential outbreak and surgical supplies were sent to Tari and Mendi Hospitals.

WHO leads health response in support of Government 

Within 48 hours of the earthquake, the Health Cluster was activated at the national level in Port Moresby.
Twenty-five partner agencies are now working together to address the immediate medical needs of the affected populations. The Health Cluster provides a venue for the identification of needs and gaps and the prioritization of support, to reach as many people as possible and avoid duplication of work.
WHO co-chairs the Health Cluster, alongside the National Department of Health (NDOH).

A plan of action for a coordinated joint response

Within a week of the earthquake, a health response plan had been jointly developed by NDOH and WHO.
Within days, a Health Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), jointly managed by NDOH and WHO was established in Port Moresby to coordinate the health response at the national level.
Local-level EOCs were also established in Mendi and Tari to provide a hub to coordinate the efficient delivery of health services to the affected communities.
Field coordinators and emergency responders were mobilised by WHO and sent to the affected areas.
“The Health EOCs were instrumental in commanding and coordinating the public health response and in ensuring health services are reaching the people most in need”, said Dr Luo Dapeng.
Staff based at the EOCs also established an Early Warning, Alert, and Response System (EWARS) for the early detection of diseases and quick response to disease outbreaks.
Dr Joseph Birisi, Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority acknowledged the quick response of WHO and development partners in mobilising support toward the health response.
“I am grateful to the health partners, especially WHO, in providing direct support to the province,” Dr Birisi added.

High-level support from WHO for the people of PNG

WHO’s response to the PNG earthquake has the high-level support of the entire Organization. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, based in Manila, Philippines, provides backstopping assistance to the Country Office.
During her visit to Port Moresby in March, Dr Li Ailan, WHO Regional Emergency Director for the Western Pacific, reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to the Government and people of PNG and in scaling up in its support to the health response and recovery efforts.
 She also guided the WHO Country Office team in the response operations.

Fifty days after: onward to restoration and recovery

Earthquake-affected communities continue to face a high risk of communicable diseases, linked to overcrowding in evacuation centres, low immunisation rates and a lack of access to clean water and sanitation.
 There is also a continuing need to provide mental health and psyscosocial support to help people cope with the stress, loss and anxiety they have faced and return to their normal lives.
Reaching some of the affected communities over the past 50 days has been extremely challenging, due to both damaged  infrastructure and security constraints. While many of the roads have
re-opened, the security situation has now worsened, particularly in Tari.
Despite these challenges, WHO is determined to find ways, alongside the NDOH and partners, to deliver life-saving care to those who need it.
The organisation is committed to helping the country recover and rebuild.
“As Papua New Guinea marks 50 days since the earthquake struck, our thoughts are with those still suffering from the aftermath of this disaster.
"The job is not yet done, there are still massive efforts needed towards recovery. WHO will continue to support authorities to address the key health concerns and ensure that the affected provinces build back better and safer,” Dr Luo added.
WHO’s initial response to the earthquake in Papua New Guinea was funded by the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE).  Additional support was also provided through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the United Nations’ global emergency response fund to deliver funding quickly to humanitarian responders and kick-start life-saving action whenever and wherever crisis hit.
“We are extremely thankful to the donors who have contributed to the CFE, including Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"This emergency fund greatly help us do the immediate action to save lives”, added Dr Luo.
 “The people in the affected areas deserve our continued support as they remain determined to recover in the face of immense obstacles and personal tragedy.”

Why forcing countries to choose sides in a trade war could benefit China, not the US

scmp.com | April 15, 2018

In a China-US trade war, many countries around the world would come under pressure to take sides. We pray it does not come to this. But let’s say it does. Whose side will they take? Even five years ago, that question would have been a no-brainer – the US, by a mile.
But today? The answer would be trickier, and not at all comforting to US consumers, companies or the trade war battle team assembled around the White House.
To help gauge an answer, I looked at the world’s top 20 economies. Then for good measure I looked at the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) economies. I browsed each of these economies’ 2017 export and import numbers to discover how important the US and China were to these economies, either as sources of imports or as leading destinations for their exports. I looked at just goods trade, omitting the services trade which is messier to compute.
The results were perhaps not unexpected, but were sobering nonetheless. As for the world’s 20 largest economies, China is the leading source of imports for 11. It is the second most important source of imports for a further four. For only two countries – France and Switzerland – is China not one of their top five sources of imports.

By contrast, the US is the major source of imports for just two – Canada and Mexico, and is in the top five for just 13 more. That means that for five of the world’s top 20 economies, the US was not among their top five sources of imports.
Now look at China as an export destination, and it is the most important export market for seven of the top 20, and one of the top five export markets for seven more. Of the other six economies for which China is not in their top five destinations, five are European economies (France, the UK, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands) and the sixth is Turkey. Since Europe’s economies mainly trade among themselves, this is not surprising.
And the US? It is the main export destination for six of the world’s top 20 economies, and in the top five destinations for a further 12. Only for Russia and Spain does the US fall outside their top five export destinations.
In sum, for 11 of the world’s top 20 economies, China is more important as a source of imports than the US, with just Canada and Mexico being more heavily reliant on the US. And even as an export destination – where the Trump administration would argue that flagrant exploitation of the openness of the US market has allowed foreign companies to trample US competitors underfoot – China has risen close to a point where it is just as important as the US market.
The picture for the Apec member economies, which obviously captures more accurately trade relations around the Pacific, shows even more starkly the rising importance of China to the region. The Apec list includes eight of the world’s biggest economies, and then 12 smaller regional economies (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Chile). Of the Apec list, China is the most important source of imports for 15, and the second source for another four. Only Thailand has less reliance on China as a source of imports, and even here it is Thailand’s third most important source.
As an export destination, China is the number one market for 12 of the region’s economies, and is in the top five for six more – just Thailand and oil exporter Brunei are outside.
Compare the US: Canada and Mexico remain the only two markets for which the US is the main source of imports, with a further 15 having the US in its top five. As an export destination, the US is number one for just four (Peru and China join Canada and Mexico), and is in the top five for a further 13 economies (Russia, Thailand and Brunei fall outside).
So I ask the question a second time: if economies are forced to choose, which way will they flip? A country like the Philippines seems already to have made its choice. As investment from China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” begins to flow in, and plans take shape for joint exploitation of marine resources in jointly claimed areas of the South China Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte has seen what side his bread is buttered on.
For economies like Japan, the conflict is less easy to manage. China is its most important source of imports and its most important export market, but the US is number two both for imports and exports. So too for South Korea, whose main import sources are China, Japan and the US, in that order, with China, the US and Vietnam its three leading export markets. And Chile, which counts China, the US and Japan as its three leading export markets, in that order. There are similar stresses for New Zealand and Australia.
In short, this is not a choice anyone wants to be forced to make. But as China’s consumer market continues to grow strongly, and as Trump’s behaviour undermines confidence in the US’s commitment to rules-based behaviour, in particular through the World Trade Organisation, the temptation to keep friendly lines open to China must get steadily stronger.
For Canada and Mexico, the painful experience of US pressure to renegotiate Nafta to make it more favourable to the US has created impossible strains. Despite their huge interconnectivity with the US economy, they must surely be looking to dilute their reliance on an increasingly unpredictable and pugilistic partner. Trump’s initiatives to hurt its closest trading partners (include Germany and Japan) must surely be counterproductive, and must surely be putting in jeopardy the goodwill that has been built over seven decades of Pax Americana.
This is a trade war that is yet to start. It might end up being no more than bluff and bluster aimed at strengthening a negotiating position that is weakening over time. A rational China will stay cool, continue to liberalise – even if more slowly than most of us would like – in line with multilateral rules and commitments, confident that time is on its side. A rational US … where on Earth has that disappeared to?

David Dodwell researches and writes about global, regional and Hong Kong challenges from a Hong Kong point of view

Jessie Joe Parker has two milestones in his sights for Whitehaven

timesandstar.co.uk | April 14, 2018

JESSIE Joe Parker will reach one milestone on Sunday – and should make it to another.

Jessie Joe Parker: Need one more to record his 100th career try.

The popular, laid-back Papua New Guinea centre will make his 150th appearance for Haven against West Wales.
If he gets over the Raiders’ line it will be to record his 100th career try.
Seventeen of those tries were scored for his first English club Featkherstone in only 15 appearances during the 2010 season.
After a brief spell with Wakefield in 2011 he joined Haven the following year and has been a fixture in the team ever since.
Parker was on the score-sheet on Sunday at Coventry for his 99th career try.
His eyes will light up when he sees that Sunday’s visitors West Wales have conceded 204 points in just three League One games.
On their last visit to west Cumbria they crashed 72-6 at Workington Town, playing the whole game with just one option from the inter-change bench.
Already seen as the League One whipping boys, the Raiders are desperate for a good result to kick-start their season.
Haven player coach Carl Forster is mindful of the Raiders’ poor record, but insists there will be no complacency.
“It won’t be a question of going into the game with one eye on Rochdale Hornets in the Challenge Cup tie the following week.
“We will be completely focused on West Wales and on ensuring we get the points to maintain our top four push,” he said.
Bradford’s defeat at Workington on Sunday suggests it is going to be a really open league this season.
At least half of the 14-strong league look capable of putting in a challenge for the top four, especially now the season is played out over home and away fixtures.
As it is likely to be so close, points differential could come into the equation, which is why teams like West Wales will be seen as ideal opportunities to bolster that particular column.

Papua New Guinea Defence Force buys 4 P-750s from troubled New Zealand planemaker

nzherald.co.nz

For staff at Hamilton planemaker Pacific Aerospace, the work day has become a waiting game.

Waiting for a judge to hand down a sentence for illegal indirect exports to North Korea, waiting to hear who is leaving next, waiting for news of some firm orders, waiting for the redundancy rumours to turn to fact.
Sources say the privately-owned Waikato business icon, which traces its origins back to the 1950s, is a workplace riddled with uncertainty, the worst atmosphere they can recall on a site which, by the very nature of its industry, has survived plenty of ups and downs.
The chief financial officer and the commercial general manager left within a month of each other this year. Since late last year, say sources, other staff have been heading for the door, either squeezed out or seeking better job security elsewhere. Only one complete aircraft has been rolled out of the Hamilton hangar since February last year, said one source.
Chief executive and shareholder Damian Camp concedes cashflow has been "tight" and that last year was challenging. But he says the future is "positive", with solid orders in the pipeline and a new aircraft type soon to be rolled out.
The company is known for its multi-purpose P-750 XSTOL (extreme takeoff and landing) aircraft. The planes are believed to sell for about $2 million apiece, though the exact price depends on the specifications of each plane.
"Tight cashflows are not unusual for us, at times it gets pretty bumpy," says Camp. "It's about timing deliveries and payments against those deliveries. It's normal stuff."
Underpinning staff jitters is a joint venture with Chinese state-owned aviation juggernaut Beijing Automotive, promoted in 2016 as solving Pacific Aerospace's historic cashflow troughs and peaks once and for all.
Back then, Camp said "a $30 million company that's been pottering along" would, thanks to the joint venture, double annual production and delivery of its P-750 aircraft from 2017, with at least 20 planes to be made that year. Half would go to China and the rest to markets Pacific Aerospace had established itself before the partnership with the Chinese, he said. Forty aircraft a year would soon be rolling out of Hamilton.
But all manufacturing staff could see was their jobs disappearing, says one source.
"We felt like Fisher & Paykel [Appliances], we'll ride it to the end and then we all lose our jobs."
Today, some staff see no reason to change that opinion, with a factory in China now assembling P-750s, a regular one-way flow of information from Hamilton to China and a Chinese workforce having been trained at Hamilton, says another source.
Camp has confirmed the exits of CFO Paul Hornell and commercial general manager Steve Peters this year, but says there have been no redundancies. He says Hornell had moved with his family to Christchurch after five-and-a-half years with the company. "Big deal". Sources say Hornell's departure was a shock because he was the de facto chief executive.
Asked whether other staff have left, Camp says: "As with any company that employs 180 people there are people that leave and there's people who come."
But sources say there are fewer than 180 staff now and because Auckland-based Camp is rarely seen at the Hamilton site, he would be unlikely to know staff numbers.
In 2016 Camp said Pacific Aerospace had 135 staff. Wages are being paid with no problems, say sources.
The Herald sent follow-up questions to Camp, asking him to clarify staff numbers and to respond to allegations about credit lines and aircraft completion challenges.
Camp's emailed reply said that, because Pacific Aerospace is a private company, and the breadth and commercial sensitivity of the questions, he would have to consult the board of directors before saying any more than:
• Pacific Aerospace had 11 confirmed P-750 orders for 2018, with a "good number" of additional contracts under negotiation and/or subject to finance applications.
• It had contracted the sale of its first E350 aircraft and expected to ship in it about four months. (The E350 is a smaller aircraft than the P-750. The intellectual property and assets for it were bought from a Canadian company which went broke.)
• The Papua New Guinea defence force was collecting the first of four P-750s at the end of this month.
• A second P-750 sale to Poland had just been dispatched.
• The Chinese joint venture had received its production certificate from Civil Aviation China and had completed its first P-750 from a kit supplied from Hamilton. A second kit would be shipped in coming weeks.
• A skydive aircraft with a larger, more efficient engine had begun trials and deliveries were expected to start next year.
Camp earlier said the 11 ordered P-750s were for China and some would be completed in that country.
"It's exactly why we've partnered with the Chinese to achieve that, so it's all going very well. The idea is that most of the assembly work for the Chinese aircraft will be done in China."
Asked if the North Korean issue had put the business under pressure, Camp says "no, none whatsoever".
"We're working closely with all our major US suppliers and have no issue with them at all."
In October last year, Pacific Aerospace pleaded guilty to indirect export of aircraft parts to North Korea. Customs NZ laid charges against the company in August for three breaches of the United Nations sanctions against North Korea and one charge under the Customs and Excise Act. The company also pleaded guilty to that charge.
The charges came after a New Zealand-made P-750 aircraft was identified at a North Korean military airshow in September 2016. The 10-seater plane, which had a North Korean flag on its tail, is popular with skydiving companies. It had been sold to a Chinese company earlier in 2016, Camp said at the time.
Customs NZ said a chain of emails suggested Pacific Aerospace knew the aircraft was in North Korea when it was asked by the Chinese owner for parts and training.
The company's latest annual report for the year ended December 2016 shows it received a government growth grant of $479,000. It is eligible for two grants under the Callaghan Growth and NZ Trade and Enterprise international growth funds.
Pacific Aerospace is owned 50:50 by Pacific Aerospace Group and BAIC International (Hong Kong), according to Companies Office records. BAIC is a Chinese government-owned company which in 2016 had annual revenue of US$56 billion ($77b).
Pacific Aerospace Group, in turn, is 33 per cent owned by PAHL Ltd, whose shareholders are Damian Camp and his brother Joshua Camp, and interests, and 67 per cent by Auckland property and agribusiness investor Nicsha Farac.

Chinese Foreign Minister says Papua New Guinea an important member of Asia-Pacific family

 By Li Ying

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues with Papua New Guinea (PNG) Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato at the Diaoyutiai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday.
Wang told his counterpart that the two countries have made substantial progress in joint endeavours over the past 42 years of diplomatic relations.
He emphasised that Papua New Guinea is an important member of the Asia-Pacific family and that China strongly support the upcoming APEC leaders meeting set to be held in the Pacific island nation in November.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaking during the meeting. /CGTN photo

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the gathering, which will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in different fields. China has pledged to continue to assist the reconstruction of Papua New Guinea after a devastating earthquake in February.
Pato said Papua New Guinea will provide more support for the development of bilateral relations under the One-China Principle, and would like to cooperate with China to speed up the development of the Belt and Road Initiative in the Pacific island region.