Storage space at wharf limited

LAND title holders of the undeveloped lease (UDL) land in Lae are being pressured to provide storage space for cargo being shipped in by major contractors engaged in the PNG-LNG project in Southern Highlands as space at the wharf is running out.
Companies are looking elsewhere to keep their equipment before transporting them to LNG sites.
Niugini Builders and Supplies Ltd director and land title holder for section 358 at the northwestern part of the Lae old airport John Buri said in fact, it is an enormous pressure each day.
“Though it is a development challenge, I am on site 24/7 to ensure 17 sub-divided blocks in section 358 take shape between now and June to provide better affordable capacity to accommodate the companies,” Buri said.
He said K102 million had already been spent to engage PNG Power, Water PNG Ltd and Telikom PNG as well as to purchase materials from overseas.
Adding that, an estimated K5 million would be spent to develop the area to enable companies to pay back millions in taxes each year to the government.
However, Buri had appealed to authorities to open up the access road from the round-about at the old airport to link the Markham and Milfordhaven roads at Snack Bar.
“As UDL holders and developers, we are playing our part and the government needs to assist swiftly as we can partner in developing the city,” Buri said.
The sub-contractor Dekenai was digging a 200m drain to allow  Niugini Electrical Contractors Ltd, subcontracted by the PNG Power, to align two underground pipe conduits to run underground cables.
Niugini Electrical’s site supervisor Andrew Maima said the conduit was a three-phase 95mm pipe connecting two transformers.
The transformer would be installed at the southern end, with distribution board at the centre and the cables running underground to connect the transformer at section 358, Maima said.