Safe sea vessels needed: Mumu

By HELEN TARAWA
THE Department of Transport and Infrastructure is offering shipping routes to companies to make travel safer in the 13 maritime provinces.
Secretary Roy Mumu told The National that the initative is for the private sector to partner with  vessels owners to provide the service.
The four routes are Port Moresby-Keapara-Mailu, Port Moresby-Gulf-Western province and Huon Gulf in Lae-Northern-Manus.
“My request and appeal to the private sector is if they have boats or if they can partner with some people to come in and apply for those routes to support our people along the maritime routes,” Mumu said.
“We need to support the maritime provinces to ensure our people have safer access to transportation at sea.
“We would like to utilise other options of transport rather than just using banana boats.
“We have advertised for shipping franchise routes that are on tender now,” he said. Mumu said that the only routes that were benefiting under this programme were the South Coast of Bougainville and northern parts of New Ireland.
“That’s only two provinces, how about the other 11 maritime provinces.
“It’s important for us to partner with the private sector and we are doing all our best to go through the procurement process.
“I’m appealing because the last three times we tendered, nobody bidded for those routes.
“We hope that they would respond this time,” Mumu said.