Sea ports’ performances improved in past 4 years: Firm

THE performance of the country’s two international sea ports have improved dramatically in the past four years, according to the PNG Ports Corporation Ltd.
Statistics released last month revealed that cargo volumes have gone up by 204,518 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) this year while the vessel turnaround time was reduced by about 50 per cent.
PNG Ports owns the terminals in Lae and Motukea in Port Moresby which are managed and operated by global terminal operator, International Container Terminal Services Inc (Ictsi) South Pacific.
In September 2017, PNG Ports and the Government signed a 25-year terminal management agreement with the Ictsi Group to run the two ports.
Lae port now trades as the South Pacific International Container Terminal (Spict) and Motukea, as the Motukea International Terminal (MIT).
The Ictsi last month revealed that the two ports had exceeded performance expectations, with the turnaround times of vessels and berth waiting time reduced, and cargo volumes increasing.
Waiting time for vessels on average decreased from 45 hours in 2015 to 30 hours this year in Lae.
In Motukea, it was 37 hours before and 15 hours now.
Cargo volumes have soared with a combined TEU of 204,518 this year, compared to 195,348 in 2015.
Electronic data interchange and reports, including invoicing and payments, are also being carried out electronically and in real time, compared to the traditional days of manually invoicing clients just four years ago. PNG Ports managing director Fego Kiniafa welcomed the improvement in performance.
“Bigger ships are coming in with the modernisation and rehabilitation of the ports and PNG Ports is happy to continue working with Ictsi on this,” Kiniafa said.
PNG Ports also owns ports in Daru, Oro Bay, Alotau, Rabaul, Kimbe, Lorengau, Kavieng, Wewak, Vanimo, Aitape, Madang, and Buka and Kieta in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.