Coastal Shipping set to celebrate 50th anniversary

A pioneer seafaring company, Coastal Shipping, will celebrate its golden anniversary on October 29 in East New Britain.
Managing director Fabian Chow said it was to celebrate its 50 years of operation in the waters of Papua New Guinea, particularly the New Guinea Island region.
“We are a survivor after losing many ships through tough times, including two major crisis in the region — the twin volcanic eruptions in Rabaul and
during the Bougainville crisis,” he said.
Chow said the company lost one of its best ships, the Lae Express, when it was burnt by members of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army during the crisis.
The ship was transporting medicine and supplies to the island during the Bougainville Peace Process.
It began as the Toboi Shipping Company in 1958 in Rabaul.
The founder was the late Sir Henry Chow, born in Rabaul in 1933 and educated in Rabaul and Australia.
After World War 11, he served an apprenticeship and trained as a boat designer and a builder in Australia.
He was assisted by three of his sons — Adrian, Fabian and Ian — in managing its business enterprises including Coastal Shipping.
Fabian Chow said the anniversary was to remind the younger generation of what the shipping company had achieved in terms of development and service to the New Guinea Island region.