Minister for State Enterprises, the Hon. William Duma MP, has presided over the awarding of the land side works contract for the rehabilitation of Kimbe port to local Papua New Guinean civil construction firm, Global Construction Ltd.
Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea Mr Ewen McDonald said that the (approx.) PGK80 million contract will create employment and provide skills development opportunities for both West New Britain and Papua New Guinea more broadly.
“Using projects to provide opportunities for national industry should be a goal for all development partners in Papua New Guinea. Relying only on international firms misses opportunities for lasting economic gains,” he said.
“We share this goal with Minister Duma and CEO Papenfus and look forward to creating more opportunities for national firms in the port upgrades to come.”
The port is the first of five to be upgraded under a (approx.) PGK1.6 billion Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) Ports Infrastructure Investment Program.
In January this year, PNG Ports awarded the marine side contract to Pacific Marine Group Pty Ltd for specialist marine works. Together with Global Constructions, these contractors will deliver a world class port facility for the people of Kimbe. It is expected that works will commence shortly with construction scheduled to conclude in 2026.
The Kimbe land side project includes pavement reconstruction, drainage repairs, line marking, utility upgrades and installation of firefighting and terminal lighting systems. Building works cover the refurbishment of key facilities including the port office, passenger terminal (kiosk and restrooms), stevedores’ amenities and the cargo shed.
“For the people of West New Britain, Kimbe Port is a critical social and economic asset – connecting West New Britain to the rest of Papua New Guinea and the world. Australia understands the importance of the province to PNG’s economy,” said Mr McDonald.
Both Global Construction and Pacific Marine Group are committed to using local labour that will deliver the works using a 70 per cent local workforce. Overall, the project will create over 300 local jobs in construction.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for State Enterprises the Hon. Minister William Duma MP
“For the people and Government of Australia to be able to come back and help us with the AIFFP program means a lot to us. If you look at the history of Kimbe, Bialla, Rabaul, even Manus, nearly all of them were built by the Australians themselves more than 50 years ago… the fact that the Government and the people of Australia decided to help us reflects the long and enduring relationship we have with our closest neighbour, the people of Australia.”
Quotes attributable to Governor West New Britain the Hon. Sasindran Muthuvel MP
“Developing the port to international standards is going to improve business and give employment opportunities to our people and bringing much needed development.”
Ends.
(From left to right) Global Constructions - Construction Manager, James Jepson, Global Constructions - General Manager, Neil Nakikus, PNG Ports Director, Maxwell Paia, PNG Ports CEO, Neil Papenfus, PNG Port Chairman, Harvey Nii, State Enterprises Minister, Hon. William Duma, Australian High Commissioner, H.E Ewen McDonald, Weste New Britain Governor, Hon. Sasindran Muthuvel MP and Australian High Commission Minister Counsellor, Dr Cate Rogers.
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