Pacific Magazine > Magazine > December 1, 2001
Air And Shipping Briefs
Air And Shipping Briefs
By Ian T. Anderson, Fili Sagapolutele, PINA Nius Online, Pacific Is
Tuvalu
A multi-purpose vessel for Tuvalu is being built in Japan and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, in conjunction with the national fisheries corporation of Tuvalu. Intended primarily for inter-island work in Tuvalu, it has passenger, freezer and cargo capacity. A competition is being held in Tuvalu to name the new ship with a prize of $1,000 and a video camera for the winning entry. It is hoped that the provision of the new vessel will help alleviate transportation problems to the outer islands.
Samoa
Air New Zealand has agreed not to hike its freight costs from Samoa after a mid-October meeting in Auckland with a Samoa government delegation headed by Minister of Finance Misa Telefoni Retzlaff. Air New Zealand had proposed to raise freight costs for Samoa exports by 55 percent. But Samoan officials and fish exporters said this would seriously hurt the country’s developing fresh fish export market. Similar increases were proposed for Fiji and Tonga. “The resolution achieved is a win-win situation for both Air New Zealand and our fish exporters, and will augur well for the industry in the future,” Misa said. Samoa Fish Exporters Association Secretary John Boyle said Samoa would lose about $3 million a year if the airfreight rates had been raised.
The Samoa government-owned Samoa Shipping Corporation (SSC) said in September that it earned a pre-tax profit of about US$900,000 for the financial year that ended Dec. 31, 2000. A new vessel has also been acquired, the Samoa Express, which SSC general manager Oloialii Koki Tuala said “is capable of providing charter service anywhere in the Pacific and beyond.” The company plans to use the new vessel for a regular Samoa to Tokelau run.
Pacific
The governments of Samoa and Cook Islands signed an open-skies agreement in September that is similar to a pact signed the month before in Nauru between Samoa and Tonga. Samoa’s Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi and Cook Islands Prime Minister Dr. Terepai Maote signed the agreement at the Pacific Islands Forum Aviation Ministers meeting held in Apia. The new agreement does not mean the Samoa’s Polynesian Airlines will expand air service to the Cook Islands immediately. Instead the airline will look at possible expansion to the Cook Islands “when conditions allow but at the moment everything is on hold,” said airline official John Fitzgerald.
Aviation ministers from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have been discussing the control of Samoan and Tongan upper airspace, currently provided by Fiji from Nadi. New Zealand is bidding to take over, and has offered Samoa and Tonga a share of the fees aircraft pay for the service — now a lucrative income earner for Fiji. Fiji Minister for Civil Aviation Konisi Yabaki said of the meeting: “It was OK. I will be talking to the government on the matter and we hope to have a decision soon.”
Guam
Continental Airlines has replaced its Pacific fleet of DC-10 aircraft with new Boeing 767-400ER jets on the Guam and Honolulu route. “Bringing new aircraft to our region demonstrates Continental’s continued commitment to the Micronesia market, and our desire to provide our customers the highest level of service,” said Walter Dias, staff vice-president of sales and marketing.
Kiribati
Kiribati plans to launch an international island-hopping air service before the end of the year that would link it with Nauru, the Marshalls and Tuvalu using a leased ATR72 from France. Kiribati is spending more than $1.5 million on the deal, which could be in service by late this month. Kiribati is dependent on Air Nauru for its international services south and Air Marshall Islands for flights to Majuro. But Air Nauru has twice been grounded this year, and Air Marshalls uses only a 19-seat commuter plane.
