Pacific Towing expanding services to Southeast Asia

PACIFIC Towing has once again showcased its maritime expertise not only in Papua New Guinea and the Oceania region, but now, in Southeast Asia.
In August, the company completed a 44-day, 10,389km ocean towage project of a large barge between Micronesia and Indonesia.
Pacific Towing’s tug, Vulcan, with its PNG crew completed the towage project.
From Port Moresby, the Vulcan travelled firstly to Micronesia’s Chuuk Islands for customs clearance, then to Satawan Atoll to retrieve the barge.
Capt Jethro Lumbuk said the tug and its crew negotiated narrow channels and atoll entry points with the barge at the Micronesia stage of the project.
“I don’t think anyone there had seen a tug the Vulcan’s size pulling such a large vessel before,” he said.
Lumbuk said the local authorities were relieved to have it removed from the atoll before it could do further damage.
“People were cheering and obviously impressed when they saw us towing the barge back in to the harbour,” he said.
The Vulcan and its crew then left Micronesia for Indonesia with the barge on July 6.
They encountered severe weather that was experienced by much of the Pacific.
Chief engineer Michael Taweg described the weather as really rough.
Despite the challenges posed by the weather, Taweg said the crew kept the barge out of danger and they safely arrived in Bitung, Indonesia, on July 23.
Pacific Towing is increasingly finding itself leading or partnering in complex marine projects throughout Oceania and Southeast Asia.
General manager Neil Papenfus attributed Pacific Towing’s growing popularity as a marine services provider in Oceania and Southeast Asia to a number of factors.
“Our tugs are crewed by expert mariners who have exceptional knowledge of the waterways,” Papenfus said.
“Our marine engineers also possess an uncanny ability to design, engineer and implement solutions.”