Pacific Forum Line

[B]Pacific Forum Line[B] Thirty-five years of service to the nations of the Pacific Thursday 23 August 2012 There are still people in the Pacific Islands who recall the significant roles two ships - the TOFUA and MATUA - played in transportation and cargo shipment in the islands in the 50s and 60s. Scholarship students from the islands used to travel to New Zealand for studies on these vessels. The main crop exports then bananas and copra were transported through these ships. And even royalty used these ships for transportation as the late Queen Salote of Tonga travelled several times to New Zealand on the TOFUA. With the advent of air transportation and the jet age, using ships for passenger transportation seem to be something of the past. Huge luxury passenger cruise vessels replace ships like the TOFUA for passenger transportation, and most people fly on airplanes between the islands. Pacific leaders however were still adamant that creating an integrated shipping line in the Pacific Islands would be a key factor in economic development. One of the proponents of this idea was the late King Taufaahau Tupou IV of Tonga. Other leaders like Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara of Fiji and High Chief Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa, as well as Michael Somare of Papua New Guinea and Albert Henry of the Cook Islands were united in their vision of building a regional shipping line that belongs to the Pacific and serves the island nations of the Pacific, aiding economic development. There was also concern of the deterioration of traditional island tramp shipping services due to containerization. Several studies showed that a regional shipping service was viable, and so the Pacific Forum Line (PFL) was incorporated in 1977, and set sail in 1978. Twelve Pacific Island nations became the shareholders of Pacific Forum Line Limited, registered in Apia, Samoa. The operating arm Pacific Forum Line (NZ) Limited is located in Auckland, New Zealand. The 12 shareholder nations of PFL are Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Kingdom of Tonga, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Nauru, and Niue. A statement from the PFL office in Auckland pointed out that "This is of-course our most important point of difference from our competition, when Tongans, for example, ship with us, they are shipping on, and supporting their own shipping line". PFL currently has a number of services calling directly in Tonga, New Zealand (Auckland, Tauranga, and Napier), Fiji (Lautoka and Suva), Samoa, Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane) and American Samoa. These direct calls are complimented by connections to the rest of the world. Services by PFL began with conventional vessels on short-term charter but by 1979 the company moved to containerization. The fleet was replaced in 1980 by three self-sustaining container ships on long-term charter, two of them purpose built for the trade. The company admitted that the early years were difficult as there were losses due to different factors including initial under-capitalization, high cost of leasing containers, and high world charter rates. But the company is now on-course for continuing success since 1985 when profits were first declared. A statement from the Auckland office says: "Our goal has always been to maximize efficiencies. This allows us to keep freight rates at realistic prices. In this way we help to foster Pacific Island trade". PFL has its own office in Samoa, and Tonga benefits directly PFL's own office as well as Forum Travel that operates the Air New Zealand Travel Centre. One of the most popular services of PFL is the forwarding arm of PFL Cargo that handles a lot of personal effects cargo, usually from expatriates sending goods home to friends and family in the islands. PFL Cargo also offers airfreight for those urgent shipments. PFL operates under a charter which requires the company to fulfil certain responsibilities: to ensure regular shipping services; to offer a modern service that encourages economic development in the South Pacific region; to contain freight rates; and to operate a viable shipping service. [B]Takeover of Pacific Forum Line Limited by Government of Samoa[B] The Government of Samoa purchased 100% share capital of PFL on Friday 28 September 2012 and the takeover was completed on Monday 8 October 2012. Samoa is committed to the objectives of why PFL was founded thirty five years ago of maintaining shipping services to encourage economic development of all Pacific countries. Samoa will secure the successful future of PFL through a more suitable business model for PFL for the benefit of all stakeholders of PFL. Samoa's priority is satisfying all PFL customers old and new alike, including all Pacific countries. 2012