Luship in serious financial crises

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

MOROBE Governor Kelly Naru has warned management of the Lutheran Shipping Services to do something quickly to bail out the company before it goes bankrupt.

Naru visited the company’s engineering yard at the Madang wharf last Saturday while on his way to the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Synod on Karkar Island.

Naru, a Lutheran church member and the governor of one of the largest Lutheran populated provinces in the country, noticed the appalling condition of ships owned by the church.  

“The management is not doing its job,” Naru said.

“The management has lost control, focus and it’s in a crisis. Lutheran shipping belongs to the Lutheran people. It must serve people in the true sense of the word.”

Naru said the church’s synod should discuss the issue and put the company back on track. 

Luship owned vessels include the mv Wewak, mv Kuder, mv Umboi, mv Rita and mv Maneba. They were either grounded by the National Maritime Safety Authority for being unseaworthy or awaiting maintenance on the dock  

Captain Paul Lingei, skipper of  the mv Wewak,said that only three vessels were operating – mv Maneba, mv Mamose and mv Zibang. 

Linge said the church management had told them that there was no money to operate the grounded ships.

Linge said the mv Wewak could not sail because it had not received maintenance.

He said the last voyage by the ship was from Lae to Madang last month carrying cargoes for Manus, which had to be transferred to another boat.

Naru said Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had committed K10 million last year to bail out Luship.