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Papua News

18 Mar 2024

IMO to Open Regional Office in Fiji

Source: IMO

The IMO will open its seventh Regional Presence Office (RPO), in Suva, Fiji, after IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, and Fiji Minister for Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 18.The Regional Presence Office will support the maritime needs and priorities of countries in the Pacific Islands region, aligning IMO actions with national and regional development policies, while providing advice on key maritime issues such as training, safety and security, legislation and marine environment.

23 Jan 2024

AR Simulator Added to Pilot Training at Smartship Australia

Image courtesy FORCE Technology

Force Technology won a deal to deliver its SimFlex4 AR solution as part of an extensive upgrade for the Queensland-based maritime simulation and training facility, Smartship Australia, which focuses on professional pilotage training and development. Smartship's facility in Brisbane includes five marine simulators, including two full mission bridges, one Tug bridge, and two-part task simulators.FORCE Technology’s SimFlex simulator was originally selected when Smartship Australia was first established in 2011.

22 Nov 2023

Austal Delivers Samoa-bound Patrol Boat

Nafanua III is the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered by Austal to the Australian Department of Defense under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project SEA3036-1. (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia division has delivered the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, Nafanua III, was accepted by representatives from the Department of Defense and then gifted by the Australian Government, to the Samoa Police Service at a handover ceremony held at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on Wednesday.Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said Nafanua III is the third Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered by Austal in 2023…

06 Oct 2023

Austal Delivers Patrol Boat for Papua New Guinea

The ceremony was attended by Australia’s Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister for Veterans Affairs, The Hon. Matt Keogh MP, and Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence, The Hon. Win Bakri Daki MP. (Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia arm has delivered the 17th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, HMPNGS Gilbert Toropo, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force at a handover ceremony held at the HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia.The new Guardian-class Patrol Boat is the fourth of four vessels to be gifted to Papua New Guinea under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project…

25 Aug 2023

US Coast Guard Joins Papua New Guinea Maritime Security Operation

USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) hosts operational planning and subject matter exchange with partners in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has invited the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources during August 2023.This marks the first time a joint patrol effort will be executed at sea since the signing and ratification of the recent bilateral defense agreement between PNG and the US, which allows the US to embark shipriders from PNG agencies aboard the ship to conduct at sea boardings on other vessels operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).The move emphasizes PNG’s commitment to maritime domain awareness…

18 Aug 2023

No Clear Winner in US, China Contest in the Pacific

© Oleksii / Adobe Stock

The United States opened international aid offices in the Pacific Islands this week, bolstering support for the strategic region and pitting it more forcefully against China, which has been providing infrastructure loans to the area for years.The vast ocean region, pivotal in World War Two, is in the spotlight again amid tensions over Taiwan. Taiwanese officials this week said China, which claims the island as its territory, could launch military drills soon to intimidate voters ahead of an election next year.On Wednesday…

13 Aug 2023

Svitzer Australia Appoints New Managing Director

Source: Svitzer Australia

Videlina Georgieva has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Svitzer Australia.She will help drive regional growth and progress Svitzer’s decarbonization agenda and replaces outgoing Nicolaj Noes who will be leaving Svitzer to take on a new opportunity.Georgieva brings a deep understanding of Svitzer’s business and operations, including within Australia, where she has been part of delivering significant commercial results throughout her 13 years with Svitzer, and most recently as the organization's Global Chief Commercial Officer.

02 Aug 2023

New Expedition Cruise Ship Delivered to Seabourn

Seabourn Pursuit (Photo: Seabourn)

Carnival's Seabourn brand has taken delivery of its second purpose-built, ultra-luxury expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, during an official handover ceremony at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. The "yacht like" small ship is designed and built for remote, diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards and includes modern hardware and technology that extend the ship's global deployment and capabilities and allows the line to offer a wide range of expedition activities led by an expert 24-person expedition team of scientists…

24 Jul 2023

US Commissions First Navy Warship in Foreign Port

The Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) arrives in Sydney, Australia July 18, 2023. The ship was commissioned July 22 in Sydney. (Photo: Julie Ann Ripley / U.S. Navy)

The United States commissioned a warship in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, the first time a U.S. Navy vessel joined active service at a foreign port, as the two close allies step up their military ties in response to China's expanding regional reach.The Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS-30)—named after a Royal Australian Navy cruiser that was sunk while supporting the U.S. Marine landings on Guadalcanal in 1942—was commissioned at a ceremony at an Australian naval base on Sydney Harbour, officially joining the U.S.

23 Apr 2023

WW2 Shipwreck Found 81 Years After Tragic Sinking

The SS Montevideo Maru, an unmarked prisoner of war transport vessel missing since being sunk off the Philippines' coast in July 1942, was discovered northwest of Luzon island. (Image courtesy of Silentworld Foundation)

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Saturday that the wreck of a Japanese merchant ship, sunk in World War Two with 864 Australian soldiers on board, had been found in the South China Sea, ending a tragic chapter of the country's history.Marles said the SS Montevideo Maru, an unmarked prisoner of war transport vessel missing since being sunk off the Philippines' coast in July 1942, had been discovered northwest of Luzon island.The ship was torpedoed en route from what is now Papua New Guinea to China's Hainan by a U.S. submarine, unaware of the POWs onboard.

14 Dec 2022

Australia Gas Price Cap Boosts LNG Import Terminal Plans but Adds risk

©4680.photo/AdobeStock

Australia's plan to control domestic natural gas prices, which producers say will deter the development of new supply, is expected to boost the prospects for proposed LNG import terminals but potentially defeat the government's aim to cut energy bills.Parliament is set to pass legislation on Thursday to cap gas prices at A$12 per gigajoule (GJ) for a year and then require a "reasonable price" for domestic sales after the cap expires.Industry players say the plan, which surprised producers…

02 Nov 2022

Australia Orders Another Patrol Boat from Austal

(Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal Limited announced that the Australian Government has ordered an additional Guardian-class Patrol Boat from Austal Australia for A$15.2 million.The 39.5-meter steel hull patrol boat, to be constructed in Western Australia and delivered in September 2024, is in addition to the 21 Guardian-class Patrol Boats ordered by the Australian Government under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1) in 2016.Fifteen of the 21 vessels have been delivered to 11 Pacific Island nations under the Australian Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program…

30 Aug 2022

US Coast Guard Vessel Blocked from Bunkering in Solomon Islands

The USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140). (Photo: Sara Muir / U.S. Coast Guard)

A United States Coast Guard vessel was unable to enter Solomon Islands for a routine port call because the Solomon Islands government did not respond to a request for it to refuel and provision, a U.S. official said.The islands' government did not immediately answer a Reuters request for comment. The Solomon Islands has had a tense relationship with the United States and its allies since striking a security pact with China in May.The USCGC Oliver Henry was on patrol for illegal fishing in the South Pacific for a regional fisheries agency when it failed to obtain entry to refuel at Honiara…

12 Jul 2022

Could the US Ship More LNG to Europe?

© Carabay / Adobe Stock

The United States, the world's top natural gas producer, wants to send more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe to help its allies break their dependence on Russian gas after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.But U.S. exports are limited by the country's liquefaction capacity and an ongoing outage at Freeport LNG's plant after the second-biggest U.S. LNG export facility was hit by fire in June.Russia, once Europe's biggest gas supplier, has already cut exports for various reasons this year…

27 May 2022

Winners of Student Ferry Design Competition Announced

(Image: WFSA)

Following the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Professional Program (held virtually on May 18, 2022), Awards were presented to finalist teams in the WFSA’s Ferry Design Competition, now in its ninth year.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said the specifications for the design ferry were crafted to be ever more challenging from year to year, but that this year’s objective creating a safe and affordable ferry for transiting India’s Brahmaputra River, “that…

27 May 2022

Austal Delivers 15th Guardian-class Patrol Boat

(Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia arm has delivered the 15th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, Te Kukupa II, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Cook Islands at a certificate signing ceremony at Austal’s shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.The new Guardian-class Patrol Boat replaces the original Te Kukupa, a Pacific-class Patrol Boat gifted to the Cook Islands in 1989 and recently decommissioned…

03 Aug 2021

Subsea Mining: All Eyes on Marine Minerals Offshore Norway

In July, Allseas’ ‘Hidden Gem’ heads to Tenerife for drydock modifications ahead of a collector “wet-test” in the Atlantic at the end of 2021 and the official start of pilot mining tests in the Pacific, 1200 nautical miles west of Mexico, in 2022. Photo from Allseas.

Marine minerals are coming under sharp focus offshore Norway. Analysts suggest it could be a $20 billion annual revenue industry by 2050, which is why many are taking an interest and developing the technology to make it happen. Marine mineral mining has been something of a slow burner in the wider marine world. It has some clear challenges, not least location and depth of these potential resources, but also concerns around its environmental impact.Yet it now appears to be coming into a distinctly sharp focus…

02 Aug 2021

Australia Gifts Newbuild Patrol Boat to Vanuatu

(Photo: Austal)

The Australian Department of Defense has handed over a newly built patrol boat to the Republic of Vanuatu. The vessel, the RVS Takuare, was gifted by the Australian Government to the South Pacific Ocean nation at a certificate signing ceremony held at the Australian Marine Complex, in Henderson, Western Australia.The vessel is the 12th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) built by Austal Australia and the first to be delivered to Vanuatu under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…

02 Nov 2020

Austal Builds Patrol Boat for Tonga

VOEA Ngahau Siliva is a 39.5-meter Guardian Class Patrol Boat, designed and constructed by Austal Australia. (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilder Austal Limited announced that its Austal Australia division has delivered the eighth Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense.The vessel, VOEA Ngahau Siliva, was gifted by the Australian Government to the Kingdom of Tonga during a handover ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard on Friday.Austal Chief Operating Officer and CEO Designate Patrick Gregg noted VOEA Ngahau Siliva was the second Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered…

17 Mar 2021

Australia Gifts Newbuild Patrol Boat to Papua New Guinea

The future HMPNGS Rochus Lokinap is a 39.5 metre Guardian Class Patrol Boat, designed and constructed by Austal Australia. (Image: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced it has has delivered the ninth Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, the future HMPNGS Rochus Lokinap, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Papua New Guinea Defense Force at a ceremony held at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.The vessel is the second of four Guardian-class Patrol Boats to be delivered to Papua New Guinea under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project, part of the Australian Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program…

18 Jun 2021

Austal Delivers 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat

From left: Austal CEO Patrick Gregg, RADM Wendy Malcolm CSM RAN, Honorary Consul General to Kiribati Paul Wenham, Superintendent of Police and Commanding Officer of RKS Teanoai II, Tom Redfern, Ilona Wenham, Vince Connelly MP, Member for Stirling and Air Commodore Fiona Dowse, Senior Officer ADF Western Australia, with the crew of the RKS Teanoai II at Austal’s Henderson Western Australia shipyard. (Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced on Friday it has delivered the 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, the RKS Teanoai II, was then gifted by the Australian government to the government of the Republic of Kiribati during a ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.The vessel is the first Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered to Kiribati under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…

21 Apr 2021

Indonesian Navy's Submarine Goes Missing with 53 Aboard. Oil Spill Spotted Near Dive Spot

File Photo:.RI Nanggala (402) Credit: U.S: Pacific Fleet/ CC BY-NC 2.0

Indonesian rescuers searching for a submarine that went missing with 53 people on board found an oil spill on Wednesday near where the vessel dived, authorities said.The 44-year-old submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali but failed to relay the results as expected, a navy spokesman said.An aerial search found an oil spill near the submarine’s dive location and two navy vessels with sonar capability have been deployed to assist in the search…

12 Nov 2020

Swire Shipping Deploys MV Lae Chief on (NAX) Service

MV Lae Chief is the first out of three 2,750TEU newbuilds that will be deployed on Swire Shipping’s NAX service. Its sister vessels, MV Noumea Chief and MV Suva Chief, are expected to be deployed into service in 2021. Image: Swire Shipping

Swire Shipping deployed its first 2,750TEU newbuild, MV Lae Chief, on its upgraded North Asia Express (NAX) service. Launching the new fixed-day fortnightly service with her maiden voyage, the vessel made her first port call in Shanghai on November 5, 2020.The new 2,750-TEU vessel is fitted with three 45mt cranes capable of dual lifts enabling it to carry all cargo types, including breakbulk, out of gauge and reefers. With strengthened tank tops to 20 t/m², MV Lae Chief is capable of carrying breakbulk such as steel and forest products…