Airline improves passenger safety

Air Niugini Limited has stepped up its precautionary measures to ensure passengers are protected and any risks of coronavirus (Covid-19 reduced, says managing director Alan Milne.
“To date, Air Niugini is already ensuring our aircraft are sprayed with hospital-type disinfectant every night they are at a maintenance base, including Port Moresby, and on every transit through Port Moresby which includes the use of an antibacterial, antimicrobial cleaning product that reduces the risk of harmful viruses, moulds, fungus, algae and any other possible harmful pathogenic bacteria.
“We are also ensuring that all our offices where we interact with you, our customers, such as sales outlets, are sprayed with this disinfectant every night.”
He noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised there was extremely low risk of cross-transmission between passengers and crew, and that to date there has been no confirmed inflight transmission of Covid-19 anywhere in the world.
He said all Air Niugini Boeing and Fokker jet aircraft were fitted with “high-efficiency particulate air filters, which perform similarly to those used to keep the air clean in hospital operating rooms”.
“This means the air quality on the aircraft is essentially sterile and particle-free.
“We are also replacing head rest covers every time an aircraft transits through Port Moresby, removing in-flight magazines from all aircraft, headsets, blankets and headrests off all seats prior to cleaning to reduce any risk of cross-transmission.
“We are replacing earpiece covers on all distributed headsets after every flight whenever their sealed container has been opened and ensuring the in-flight blankets are cleaned using industrial laundry practices.
“All Air Niugini flights are equipped with hand sanitiser and face masks, and if any guest presents as unwell or with flu-like symptoms on one of our flights, they’ll be provided with a face mask and hand sanitiser, and where possible, moved away from other passengers.”
Milne said Air Niugini had reduced and cancelled flights voluntarily for those locations where the infection rates had been increasing rapidly such as Asia. He said Air Niugini was providing its staff who were interacting with the public, including cabin crew and check-in officers, with personal protective equipment “appropriate to the risk level for their role and location”.

Global oil, gas prices drop, revenue to be affected

By DALE LUMA
THE national economy is expected to take a major hit with revenue expected to be affected because of the coronavirus, says Petroleum and Energy Minister Kerenga Kua.
Kua told The National yesterday that the pandemic was affecting the world and PNG would not be left out. In terms of the oil and gas sector, he said oil prices had already decreased and gas was expected to follow. This means a dent to revenue collection for the country.
“In terms of the economy, it is going to be a very tough year,” Kua said.
“Revenue will receive a major hit in terms of projections. Its trade, travel and movement of people which create revenue. When you shut all that down and you isolate PNG from the rest of the world, and as each country goes into isolation, there is no trade, no business and no money to be made. There has been a significant drop in oil price already and because the oil and gas price are tied together. Whenever there is a shift in oil price, it has a corresponding impact on gas price.
“I have not received any up to date briefing on that yet. We have seen in the public domain that oil prices have taken a hit and has gone down and I do expect price will also go down naturally. What that means is that the project (PNG LNG) will be earning less revenue, which means government, provincial government and landowners will be receiving less revenue.”
“We might not receive any revenue at all this year and the project might suffer a major loss, no profit to be shared, no royalties and levies,” he said.
“That remains to be seen because the thing is still progressing as its impacting worldwide and we don’t know the full impact yet.”

Police prepare contingency plan to continue operations

POLICE are preparing a plan to counter the impact of the coronavirus when it hits the country, says Commissioner David Manning.
He said it was vital that the constabulary must be able to continue operations in the face of the pandemic.
“First and foremost is the education of members on the disease – its symptoms, ways in which the disease can be contained or prevented from spreading and how to protect themselves,” he said.
“The plan provides a framework to ensure continuity of government services in the event of a pandemic. Policing services will be affected in the event of an outbreak so we are taking steps now to mitigate its effect.
“Our plan will include shifting our resources around to ensure minimum disruption to our policing operations. It is my desire to ensure that the Constabulary maintains essential services and functions in the event of a pandemic. We will also be required to assist should there be a need therefore it is of critical importance that the constabulary prepares itself now.”
Manning expects to lose 10 to 40 per cent his workforce in the event of an emergency.
“This can have a huge impact on our operational capabilities and response to crime.”
He has instructed provincial commanders to initiate their own business continuity plans.
“By nature of our job, we are usually the first respondents in any emergency situation,” he said.
He plans to provide factsheets for police officers so that they are prepared.

Exxon plans to delay turnaround time for ships

By DALE LUMA
EXXON Mobil will delay its turnaround time for PNG LNG shipments from Port Moresby to markets from eight to 14 days as it takes preventive measures against the coronavirus, an official says.
Petroleum and Energy Minister Kerenga Kua said it was part of the company’s new operation plan to restrict the transmission of the coronavirus.
The country only has one major oil and gas project which is operated by Exxon.
“I have already received a briefing from Exxon on this issue and they are wary of the coronavirus,” Kua said.
“They have already designed operational plans on safety issues around the corona pandemic.
“For instance, with our exports ships going, the normal turnaround time for a ship is eight days from Port Moresby to the receiving ports in Japan and China.
“However, because of the corona pandemic, they now require their ships to slow down their journey to a minimum of 14 days.
“This means that if one of the crew is affected, the incubating period of the infected person is 14 days before the symptom begins to appear. So the ships are slowed down to a 14-day journey instead of eight days.
“In the 14 days, the symptoms should manifest themselves and if that happens, upon arrival to the destinations, the ships will be quarantined at sea rather than dock at the ports.”
Kua said it was a measure taken by Exxon to make sure that in the process of shipping oil and gas, they did not bring coronavirus.
However delivery schedules will be impacted hence Exxon is now starting to hire more boats to transport more volumes to maintain PNG’s supply to the market.

PNG needs bail-out packages to help economy, says Namah

By REBECCA KUKU
OPPOSITION Leader Belden Namah says Prime Minister James Marape’s address to the nation on Sunday on the coronavirus lacked relief measures for the economy.
“While the rest of the world have announced stimulus and bail-out packages to handle the fallout, we are very doubtful of the ability of Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey to respond effectively on the PNG economy and the 2020 Budget,” he said.
He said Ling-Stuckey’s obsession with former prime minister Peter O’Neill’s economic management and other matters “are old school stuff which should be ditched”.
“Any reforms should be done in the current context of the coronavirus.
“The 2020 budget should be ditched and Parliament recalled and a Supplementary Budget be introduced immediately,” he said.
He said it would have been what they would do if in government.
The Opposition “expects sharp declines in government revenue and economic growth” this year as commodity prices drop, and investment sentiments affect both government and industries amid disruptions to the supply chain.
“In the Supplementary Budget, I will delay implementation of certain unnecessary expenditure programmes such as the K2 billion claims and arrears bill and use that money to (for) a K2 billion stimulus package to maintain essential programmes, support our coronavirus health intervention programmes and introduce measures to relieve the private sector and small to medium businesses from folding. This is what we will do, if we are in Government,” he said.
Namah said the people wanted to see a quick response from the Government on public health, monetary and fiscal policies.
He said the PNG economy had just emerged from a negative growth in 2018 as a consequence of the earthquake that affected Hela and adjoining provinces.
“I don’t have to be an economist to know that the impact on coronavirus is now visible on small businesses that are now in need of some support from the government.”