FOR THE ADVENTURE LOVERS

Recently a team of kayakers made a first descent of the Beriman River on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The 30-mile stretch is deliberated as one of the most challenging river canyons in the South Pacific for its narrow channels, technical whitewater, and ultra-remote location. Ben Stookesberry, Ben Marr, Chris Korbulic, and Pedro Oliva spent 13 days steering through the 4,000-foot deep gorge, which they dubbed the Grand Canyon Pacific. "It's unreal," says Stookesberry. "There's actually 13 gorges inside this massive canyon, with no roads, no trails, and no villages anywhere near the headwaters. We got dropped off by helicopter."

The excursion, sponsored by Eddie Bauer, brought back the same team who last year nabbed the first descent of the Nachvak, North America's most remote river, located in the Torngat Mountains in the Canadian Arctic. "We figured out then that we could pull off something pretty intense and pretty cutting edge with this group," says Stookesberry, who's made more than 120 first descents in 32 countries.

Before getting into the water, the team took a full week to lookout the Virgin River, which Stookesberry first spotted from the air in 2013. They used a helicopter to collect as much initial data as they could, pointing a high-resolution video camera at the aqua-blue water as it churned its way through the sheer canyon walls. The team scheduled portages to avoid any gorge that contained at least one "un-survivable" rapid or waterfall - which ended up being three. One of those portages took 2.5 days due to the complexity. "We were utilizing bolts and climbing ropes and a lot of persistence to get ourselves, and our 110-pound kayaks, up the vertical canyon walls," says Stookesberry. "And that's all before you had to machete-hack your way through the jungle, and then figure out how to get back down and into the river."

Stookesberry says the expedition was unlike anything he's done before, an amazingly technical descent that merged climb9ing, canyoneering, and kayaking. Reel Water Productions plans to release a documentary of the adventure in fall 2015. And Stookesberry hopes to get out with the same crew of kayakers again, ideally into the remaining virgin rivers of the Himalayas or Papua New Guinea. "We're two for two now. I think another expedition is in order."

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Air Tahiti Nui enters PNG market

Papua New Guinea (PNG), in the south-western Pacific, includes the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands. A country of enormous cultural (with a total population of around seven million, nearly 850 languages are listed for the country) and biological diversity, is known for its beaches, coral reefs and scuba diving. Presently there are 25 airports with commercial services in the country (according to OAG Schedules Analyser w/c 14 July), which is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, with the capital city Port Moresby being the most important, commanding 42% of weekly seats - down from 43% in the same week last year.

Air Niugini, is the national airline of PNG, and is headquartered at Jacksons International Airport at Port Moresby, and as anticipated, it is the main capacity provider to the country, with 64% of weekly seats. Air Tahiti Nui is a recent new entrant into the PNG market, launching A340-300 flights from Papeete on 30 June. Nevertheless, Australian regional airline Hinterland Aviation’s weekly flight on the 1,286-kilometre sector from Cairns to Kiunga in PNG has been suspended over the last year.

While the lion’s share of routes functioned in PNG are domestic (94% of weekly flights), the country does have a handful of international connections, with the most important being to Australia (46 weekly flights). On a much smaller scale, there are also services from Singapore (five weekly), Philippines (four), Solomon Islands (four) and Hong Kong (three) - all operated by Air Niugini - as well as Japan, French Polynesia and Indonesia (all weekly).

Of the top 12 routes, three are international sectors (highlighted in light green), with the remainder all being domestic airport pairs. All three of these international segments have shown year-on-year growth, with Port Moresby to Cairns leading the way (+15%) from the capital city’s links to Singapore (+8.2%) and Brisbane (+4.5%). The 296-kilometre domestic sector between Wewak and Madang heads the annual growth charts though, posting a 126% increase in weekly seats since last July. Capacity from Port Moresby to Popondetta has observed the most important reduction, falling by 11% this July when compared to the same week last year.

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Another Excellent Win by PNG at Pacific Games

Papua New Guinea emerged as the winner of the Pacific Games medals table for the second time in the history as their athletes produced another outstanding performance on the final day of competition at Port Moresby 2015.

As well as the six titles they fortified in boxing, the hosts brushed the golf tournament, fastening all four available golds, and added another two in beach volleyball and the men’s half-marathon. The hosts claimed an overall total of 87 gold medals, easily ahead of New Caledonia and Tahiti on 55 and 38 respectively. 

The last time Papua New Guinea had ended top of the medals table was in 1991, the last occasion they were held in Port Moresby, with 44 golds. New Caledonia had finished top in the five Pacific Games since then, including at Nouméa four years ago, winning a record 120 gold medals. 

The day started well as Kipsy Busamo clocked 1 hour 14min 11sec to clinch the men’s half-marathon crown, crossing the line ahead of Tahiti’s Georges Richmond and Fiji's Avikash Lal. In the women’s race, Sharon Firisua of Solomon Islands sealed a hat-trick of Port Moresby 2015 golds as she added the half-marathon crown to the 5,000 metres and 10,000m crowns she won earlier in the week.

On a packed day of action with medals bestowed in eight sports, Papua New Guinea’s golfers were in formidable form as Soti Dinki overhauled Cook Islands’ William Howard at the top of the men’s leaderboard with a final round of two-over-par. Howard’s 10-over-par round consigned him to silver, while New Caledonia's defending champion Adrien Peres took bronze.

Papua New Guinea then went on to reinforce their supremacy by clinching both team golds on offer. Kristine Seko led from start to finish to win the women’s gold medal, four shots ahead of Elmay Viking of Cook Islands, with New Caledonia’s Arianne Klotz taking bronze.

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A Two Week Aid by US Hospital Ship to PNG

More than 6,000 people in Papua New Guinea have received medical treatment during a two week aid mission by a US hospital ship. The USNS Mercy is part of the Pacific Partnership mission to furnish humanitarian support and to assist communities prepare for disasters across the Pacific.

During its 14 day stop in Bouganville and East New Britain the crew also delivered 130 surgical procedures. Vets on board cared for 140 dogs and cats, and treated more than 2500 farm animals.

The commanding officer of the medical treatment facility, Melanie Merrick, says they've also been holding talks on women's health and violence.

"When you think about a disaster, it effects everyone, but the women and the children need that extra support, that extra ability to recover and so that's a great part of the initiative. And as we move through the Pacific countries talking about preparing for disasters that's one thing we want people to keep in mind; is how do you support your women and children because that's the future."

Melanie Merrick says the boat is now off to the Philippines for a month, followed by Vietnam.

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Pacific Games will put Papua New Guinea on the map says PM

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has said that the Pacific Games gives the nation the opportunity to put itself on the sporting map, praising the organisers of the event. “It makes me proud as a Papua New Guinean to see the work and dedication that has gone into getting our Games ready. These facilities have been built in record time and now we are seeing them delivered on time. Our Government inherited the commitments of the past Government to host the Pacific Games, and we had to honour these commitments. I thank all those who have put in hard work, leadership and delivery of the infrastructure for the Games,” he said.

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Protecting Women-Efforts by Papua New Guinea and India

Today’s sad reality is that we live in a progressively ferocious society in which the fear of crime is ever-present. Personal safety has become an issue of significance for everyone, but especially for women. Going out for dinner and not sure which area would be safer at night for a woman traveling on her own? Want to track your daughter to ensure she gets back from college safely?

A map-based mobile safety app may be your answer. Safetipin, intended by the charity Jagori, uses crowdsourcing to rate the safety of areas in Delhi based on factors including lighting, population density, transport and gender diversity. It also acts as a personal GPS tracker, allowing users to be tracked or to trace a loved one. Safetipin is one of thousands of projects being rolled out in cities across the world as part of a United Nations initiative to stem cases of rape, sexual harassment and molestation in urban areas.

From New Delhi in India to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, a small but increasing number of municipalities, charities, companies and community groups are joining U.N. Women’s Safe Cities Global Initiative. New Delhi is now one of 25 cities, including Port Moresby, Quito, Kigali and Cairo, to have joined the safe cities project. Some of the initiatives so far include boosting street lighting, installing toilets, setting up help lines and strengthening laws on sexual harassment. Each city first does a “scoping” survey on insights and outlooks towards sexual violence that is used to develop city-specific programs that are evaluated every five years.

In Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, authorities have elevated a market where more than 80 percent of the vendors are women. They have built new infrastructure, including bathrooms and showers, refurbished market stalls, provided access to potable water and established a vendors association. Municipal officials, nevertheless, admit that ending sexual violence is not just about creating infrastructure, but also about sustained public campaigns that dispel sexism and challenge gender stereotypes.

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PM says Melanesia will benefit from PNG's Economy

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill says the economic prosperity and affluence of Papua New Guinea must be shared, and benefit all Melanesian countries. Mr O'Neill was speaking when commissioning the Papua New Guinea chancery in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

He says PNG businesses are slowly spreading to the other Melanesian countries, not to be overriding, but to share their economic success by creating jobs and creating tax income for local governments.

Mr O'Neill says PNG's economy is growing at a rate of 9-percent for the past 10 to 14 years, and it will continue to grow at the same rate for the next 10 to 14 years’ time. Peter O'Neill says PNG plans to open a chancery in Paris, and also one in Suva.

According to the Treasury Minister Patrick Pruaitch, Papua New Guinea Economy is expected to grow by 11.3 per cent – lower than the projected 15.5 per cent. He furnished Parliament an update on the 2015 budget and the state of the economy. “In 2015, the economy is expected to grow by 11.3 per cent, slightly lower than the 15.5 per cent projected in the 2015 budget,” Pruaitch said.

“This is due to the increased rate of gas production achieved in 2014, which has lowered the growth in gas production expected in the 2015 budget.

“After the drop in non-mining GDP, revised down from 1.4 per cent to 1.2 per cent in 2014, a turnaround in non-mining GDP is expected in 2015 with improvements in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. “Weakening Government revenues is anticipated to reduce total revenue and grants by K1.3 billion this year, the second consecutive fall experienced by this Government.

“To date, total expenditure and net lending has been maintained in line with the 2015 budget.

“I have tasked Treasury to plan a mini-budget in the next couple of months to ensure the Government continues to implement prudent and sustainable macroeconomic policies.”

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Countries converge for PACANGEL Papua New Guinea

A six-nation Pacific Angel 15-4 team arrived June 1 in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea.

The PACANGEL team – made up of doctors, dentists, plumbers and planners from Papua New Guinea, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Indonesia -- tumbled out of trucks in Goroka, a town of 20,000 people located a mile above sea level, to deliver humanitarian assistance and build disaster relief abilities with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.

The value of the exchanges taking place in tropical medicine, public health and engineering encourages partner countries to build relationships through these various programs, preserving peace and stability in the region.

The operation helps Papua New Guinea military and civil health groups recognize and cope with the complexity of a disaster like the typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and floods characteristic of the South Pacific, said U.S. Air Force Lt Col. Courtney Finkbeiner, a nurse and leader of the operation's medical subject matter expert exchange teams.

"Disaster is chaotic enough," she continued. "All of the (Papua New Guinea) medical professionals know how to care for patients; we only try to show them how we organize in a crisis."

Appreciating that context of mutual reliance and assistance is critical to understanding the aid picture in the South Pacific, emphasizing cooperation amongst countries.

"We all have different outlooks, but in a situation like Pacific Angel, we have to consult with each other," said Philippine Army Capt. Donald Palmer, a Philippines Medical Corps doctor. "We take our (national) experiences and turn them into multilateral ability, where each country can help the other."

Missions like PACANGEL help local government and international aid agencies respond more quickly to crises within a country's borders and assume control of recovery in their wake, enabling them to better use the equipment, training and connections they already have.

For instance, PACANGEL missions to Nepal in recent years helped more than 9,000 people in that country. More critically, the missions brought together the Nepalese, American, Australian and other military and civilian aid agencies who later formed the joint task force that responded to the devastation following the earthquake near Kathmandu weeks ago.

For many of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force members, all the disaster training and activity resonate strongly with experience.

"We've been through the real things, many times before," said Papua New Guinea Defence Force Maj. Wilson Andrews, the PACANGEL lead host nation planner.

This summer marks the eighth iteration of PACANGEL. The teams will be training in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief through June 8.

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Papua New Guinea Invites Greater UK Investments

More than 300 business leaders, from the United Kingdom, as well as Europe and the United States, have been given new insight to the economic growth of Papua New Guinea and potential returns on investment.

In his keynote address at the inaugural United Kingdom - Papua New guinea Trade and Investment Forum in London on Tuesday, the Prime Minister, Hon Peter O'Neill CMG MP, provided perspective to ongoing economic development."Stability, responsible management and growth is what we offer to you," Prime Minister O'Neill told the opening session of the forum.

"Underpinning our economic growth are our core policies that are building a solid foundation for our country into the future

"These policies relate to free education, universal healthcare, improved law and order, and infrastructure development.

"The opportunities in Papua New Guinea are better than they have ever been.

"Papua New Guinea is open for business and I invite you and your colleagues to join with us is maximising these opportunities."

PM O'Neill highlighted the relevance of political stability and the independence of national institutions in Papua New.

"Our democracy remains a beacon of stability that is lacking in many developing countries.

"Stability is what that the country requires so that economic growth will continue as we give confidence to the business community.

"Alongside a stable political environment in Papua New Guinea, we also have an absolutely independent judiciary.

"The Central Bank is fiercely independent – as the Governor's statements on the economy continue to demonstrate.

"The Central Bank has made tough decisions but this ensures inflation is manageable, exchange rates are not subject to large fluctuations and interest rates continue to remain stable.

"Our leading national institutions are strong, independent and are shining examples of stability."

The Prime Minister provided perspective on the challenges that nation has faced over the past four decades particularly when it comes to service delivery in remote and regional areas.

"An important change we have made is to genuinely devolve decision-making away from the capital – to empower the levels of government closest to the people.

"This is principally district level administrations and local and village councils.

"That is bringing our democracy and the delivery of government services even closer to the people - especially our rural majority."

The forum was attended by senior managers from the financial and business sectors who were given the opportunity to engage directly with ministers and senior departmental officials to gain a stronger understanding of the potential offered by investing in Papua New Guinea.

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Sports Minister says PNG will produce world champions within the next decade

The Minister for Sport in Papua New Guinea, Justin Tkatchenko, is predicting that PNG will produce world champion athletes within the next decade, on the back of the government's huge investment in the Pacific Games.

He has also given an assurance that the successful High Performance Centre set up for the Games. Something which PNG has never had before, is here to stay.

And with the Games' opening ceremony less than four weeks away now, Mr Tkatchenko says he has no doubt that PNG will deliver.

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Research and Markets: Papua New Guinea Oil and Gas Strategic Analysis and Outlook 2015-2025

Amidst downfall in oil prices creating uncertainty on the future of Papua New Guinea industry growth, the report details key strategies of government, oil and gas companies and investors in the country. Detailed outlook of the industry in terms of production forecasts of oil, gas, LNG, LPG, gasoline, diesel, fuel oil along with supporting parameters of primary energy demand, GDP and population are included.

Current status of planned projects along with the possible commencement of the projects, feasibility of developing those projects in current market conditions, expected start up, impact of competing assets in other countries and overall industry developments, investments required and other related information on planned projects is provided in detail.

The comprehensive guide provides analysis and forecasts of Papua New Guinea oil and gas market for the period 2000 to 2025. Asset by asset details of all existing and planned projects across Papua New Guinea oil and gas value chain are detailed in the report.

Driven by strong methodology and proprietary databases, reliable projections of oil, gas, petroleum products, coal, and LNG- supply and demand are made to 2025. The research work examines the existing infrastructure (oil and gas assets), market conditions, investment climate and competitive landscape of upstream, midstream and downstream sectors.

SWOT Analysis and benchmarking tools are used to analyze and compare the real prospects and challenges of investing or expanding in the industry. Further, the report details all the investment opportunities sector wise, highlighting the industry growth potential and project feasibility. Detailed information on new fields, blocks, pipelines, refineries, storage assets and LNG terminals along with the investments required, current status of the projects and commencement feasibility are provided.

The report also analyzes three key companies in Papua New Guinea oil and gas industry. Business operations, SWOT Analysis and financial performance of the companies are provided. All latest developments in the industry along with their possible impact on the industry are included in the report.

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