PNG Ports Corporation (PNG Ports), the dominant port operator and marine pilotage leader in Papua New Guinea, has raised the standard of PNG’s pilotage services following a programme of LNG tanker training undertaken in Port Moresby and Brisbane. Theoretical, practical, and simulator training finessed the skillsets of six of PNG Ports’ most experienced pilots, two of whom already pilot LNG tankers, and all of whom have vast experience on multiple vessel types.
PNG Ports’ pilots have serviced the Caution Bay LNG terminal operated by ExxonMobil PNG Limited since 2014 when the country first commenced its LNG exports. Crucial to PNG’s developing economy, the LNG sector contributes significantly to the nation’s GDP, with Caution Bay currently the sole terminal for this highly important export.
Under an MOU with ExxonMobil PNG Limited, PNG Ports is committed to training and certifying pilots through PNG’s National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) to meet regulatory standards.
The six pilots who’ve recently received training, constitute both a ‘pool’ and a ‘pipeline’ of LNG tanker pilotage talent. Two of the pilots are already experienced LNG tanker pilots and another two have received all necessary training and assessment and are just waiting to be signed off. The remaining two pilots, who have undertaken the first stage of the LNG training programme, are continuing to progress and are expected to achieve competency in the near future.
The LNG training programme was developed and overseen by McGuire Maritime. Chief Operating Officer of PNG Ports, Felix Bauri, described the simulator training component, conducted at the Smartship Australia simulator centre in Brisbane, as “especially critical for LNG pilotage and particularly so for a country like PNG which is so dependent on LNG exports.” He added that “simulator training is also the only way a pilot can be consistently trained in a range of contingencies and emergencies such as steering failure or tug error, as well as in adverse weather conditions.”
Bauri reported that additional pilots will continue to be identified for the LNG training in line with business continuity planning. This is timely given that the Nation’s LNG output (and therefore exports) is set to increase with the imminence of its second major LNG project, the Total led Papua LNG development, as well as the ExxonMobil led P’nyang LNG Project.
However, it’s not just an increase in LNG tankers that PNG Ports pilots will need to service but an increase in all manner of vessels. The construction phases of the P’nyang and Papua LNG projects will be associated with a steep increase in large cargo vessels in particular, given that nearly all equipment and materials required for construction needs to be imported by sea.
“The training our pilots undertake to qualify them for LNG tanker pilotage is of the highest possible international standard” said Bauri. “As such, it more than qualifies them to pilot any type of major vessel that services PNG, not just the LNG tankers. In other words, the LNG training our pilots receive isn’t just good for LNG operators but for any shipping company that calls into PNG because it provides them with a higher quality and safety assured pilotage experience, as well as one that is in full compliance with international maritime regulations.”
CEO Neil Papenfus is adamant that he doesn’t only want to raise the bar when it comes to the training PNG Ports’ pilots receive but all of the country’s pilots. The PNG and Australian governments signed off on a A$621.4 million ‘PNG Ports Infrastructure Programme in 2022, to repair and upgrade seven key ports. Papenfus believes that “one way to protect this investment is to prevent future damage from ship collision, and that this can in part be achieved by having better trained pilots, with improvements in training to be mandated by the NMSA and tied to licensing.” Another mechanism by which Papenfus says vital port infrastructure can be protected is to increase the number of pilotage mandated ports. Only six of PNG’s 23 declared ports are mandated.
