Lack of shipping services affecting businesses

THE lack of shipping services to Finschhafen, Morobe, has badly affected businesses and the functions of government bodies.
Boase Wanald, a loading supervisor with Morobe Coast Shipping Services Limited (MCSSL), told The National that the only cargo vessel serving the district, was not in operation for nearly two months now.
“The mv LBC 1 which has been the main cargo/freight vessel serving the district was under survey at dry-dock in Madang,” he said.
“It is still awaiting clearance from the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA). There are other arrangements yet to be done by the owner, Sir Bob Sinclair.
“With the non-operation of this cargo vessel, the store goods to the three big stores in Gagidu, Finschhafen – Mando Trading Ltd, Giant Holdings Ltd and Sifuyu Trading Ltd, were all piled up in the warehouse of MCSSL.”
The three stores have wholesale and hardware, which serve not only Finschhafen, but people from Tewai-Siassi and Kabwum as well.
He said with the backlog in shipment, the three companies chartered a ship owned by Papindo Group, mv Aquamarine, to make shipments scheduled only for Finschhafen yesterday.
“The cargo vessel was loaded with more than 800 tonnes of cargo.
“From pallets of rice and cooking oil, roofing iron, construction materials and other items,” he said.
“Along with the store goods are diesel drums for PNG Power Ltd’s diesel generators at Gagidu, school supplies and hospital materials.”
“All the cargo have been here for the last one month and two weeks.
“There is nothing much we can do but to wait for mv LBC 1 to come out of dry-dock.”
Finschhafen has two ships under the MCSSL, mv Geyamsao and mv Maneba, both non-operational.