PNG needs efficient port

The National Transport PNG

PAPUA New Guinea needs an effective and well-planned port development and management system, a port expert says.
Overseas Coastal Area Development Institute of Japan senior execute director Akira Koyama says
to realise such systems, the Government has to take the initiative of executing a national port administration..
“These comments are based on my experience as a researcher for OCDI where I have engaged in port-related projects in many developing countries for the past eight years and more than 10 years in Japan,” he said.
“It should be a basic duty of a government agency,” Koyama, also a registered engineer at OCDIJ, said.
Koyama told The National via email last week that OCDIJ was engaged for the three-year capacity development project on port policy and administration implemented by Japan (through Japan International Cooperation Agency) and PNG (through Department of Transport and Infrastructure).
Koyama, who has more than 30 years of experience in Japanese government port administration, said PNG should apply what Singapore did for its development.
Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who led Singapore to become a developed country, said that the economic performance level of an island country could not exceed the capacity of its sea ports and/or airports.
Koyama said the former PM’s remark was applicable to PNG.
With regards to national port administration in PNG, the pressing issues can be summarised as:

  • Unclear demarcation on roles, functions and powers of port administration among port-related agencies (Department of Transport and Infrastructure, PNG Ports Corporation Ltd, National Maritime Safety Authority, etc);
  • absence of a national execution system for port administration;
  • lack of policy measures and tools for execution of nationwide port administration; and,
  • shortage of qualified staff with sufficient experience within the Department of Transport and Infrastructure.

The national ports administration seminar in Port Moresby last month, which Koyama also attended, deliberated on some of these matters.
The seminar also saw the closure of the three-year joint capacity building project between PNG and Japan.
A policy-making function and a regulatory function were two sides of the same coin.
Threrefore, those functions should be under the jurisdiction of one Government agency, Koyama said.
“If a third party were to ask which agency is responsible for national port administration, is there any person who can give a definitive answer?
“Policy matters fall under the jurisdiction of DoT, regulatory functions like granting approvals and licences are under NMSA while port management itself and or business matters are handled by PNGPCL.
“It would be a long and confusing answer. And which agency handles statistical matters?”
Therefore, even after establishment of NMA, unclear demarcation of port administration among government agencies would still remain, Koyama said.
According to Department of Transport and Infrastructure Secretary Roy Mumu, the project was authorised by the joint coordinating committee members comprising representatives from his department, Department of National Planning and Monitoring, PNG Ports Corporation and the National Maritime Authority.