Govt’s decision achieve results: PNG Ports

THE Government’s decision to modernise the two international terminals owned by PNG Ports Corporation Ltd had achieved results over the last three years, an official says.
In September 2017, PNG Ports and the Government signed a 25-year terminal management agreement with the International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) South Pacific to manage and operate its Lae port and Motukea international terminal.
“The Government has planned for continued growth and development in the international trade arena and PNG Ports is pleased to have entered a productive partnership with ICTSI,” PNG Ports managing director Fego Kiniafa said.
“We look towards enhancing our partnership over the next two decades as we work together to maximise both ports’ potential of bringing high standards of operational efficiency to the two ports for the greater benefit of our port users and the country.”
PNG Ports said, in a statement, that statistics showed vessels waiting at anchor to berth at port facilities was hourly, compared to the 2015 average waiting time of 16 hours, while the time spent in port while cargo was being off loaded and loaded had been reduced from at least two days on average to less than a day.
It added that ship turnaround times had decreased on
average by half from 38 hours to 18 hours, truck turnaround which was 50 minutes was now an average of 25 minutes, while berth productivity time and the documentation process had also seen a huge cut.
It was also noted that electronic data interchange and vessel productivity reports which used to take about 12 hours now took around two hours.