Venue: Grand Pacific Hotel ,Suva
The General Manager Business Development, Mr Craig Strong;
Owners Representative, Mr Chris De Villiers;
China Navigation Company Representatives from around the region;
Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Bula vinaka and a very good evening to you all.
I am delighted to be here today, to officially launch the China Navigation Company (CNCo) Fiji Branch.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Each time we inaugurate a new service or a new piece of national infrastructure, we take another step—a step that breaks barriers, a step that brings stakeholders and Fijians closer together, a step toward greater national prosperity, and a step that creates more opportunity for Fijians. Every investment we make or made, is an investment in people. And every investment weaves and strengthens the fabric of our national life.
So a road is more than a ribbon of asphalt; it connects families, it creates community, it gives farms and factories access to markets. Similarly, shipping services are more than just ships. It is a service, which is part of our national, regional and international communications network – to be truly united for commerce and connected as a nation and a region.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fiji is indeed honoured and privileged to be identified as an arm for the China Navigation Company, given their vast experience in shipping services dating back to 1883, when CNCo established liner services in Australasia. With their traditional core trading area being the Asia – South Pacific region, they too offer shipping links between over 130 ports in Asia, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Indian Sub-Continent.
Furthermore, with CNCo being the parent company of Swire Shipping, which is the brand name for all liner shipping services, Fiji would surely develop as a major transhipment hub for Swire Shipping in the Pacific.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
That short and brief introduction, speaks volume of CNCo and the Fijian Government looks forward to working with CNCo in developing and improving Fiji’s shipping services and industry. From the consumers, ship owners and charterers, shipbuilders, engineers and service providers, producers who ship cargo, banking, insurance and classification.
Ladies and Gentlemen
While having a branch office in Fiji allows Swire Shipping to have more direct interaction with clients to fully understand and manage their supply chain needs, it also provides the opportunity to employ Fijians and other regional Pacific Island nation seafarers to work on their vessels.
Not only would they provide employment, they would also ensure that workers are developed and up skilled to allow them to be part of their corporate succession plan.
In addition, being based in Fiji, also allows better interaction with stakeholders, such as Biosecurity, Health, Customs and Fiji Ports in its effort to work towards the best solution for efficient and effective service delivery to benefit all stakeholders.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Maritime transport is a cornerstone of our shipping industry. It plays an essential role in Fiji’s economy.
For me there is no doubt that Fiji needs a high-quality shipping sector that can compete around the world. A sector where service quality, high levels of safety, environmental protection and operational efficiency win out over protectionism and low-cost sub-standard services.
Shipping rarely attracts media headlines. But when it does, this is more often because of accidents, than because of its reliability and efficiency. As an industry and as regulators, we need to do our utmost to prevent these kinds of disasters from happening again. They cast a shadow over shipping – despite its reputation as one of the safest and cleanest forms of transport.
To reach our goal of shifting more traffic to sea, it has to be as easy for cargo to move across the region on a ship as it is on a truck. Therefore, it is extremely important for all stakeholders to work together in ensuring that this happens.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I share the belief of many of you that for an industry as global as shipping, we need to look to global regulation developed at the International Maritime Organization. I have been a strong supporter of the IMO. Both the Fijian Government and IMO have a common goal of safe, secure and sustainable shipping around the region and the world. It is our shared responsibility to demonstrate that global regulation works effectively.
Therefore, now is the time to raise the level of safety that existing IMO regulations provide for the stability of passenger ships. Recent research has shown that their damage stability could be considerably increased. We think it is possible for a passenger ship carrying 6,000 people to survive 97% of all possible collisions – with minimal additional costs.
Rising emissions from shipping are another concern. As industry and regulators, we need to demonstrate together that we can deal with this issue effectively. It is clearly in our shared interest to show we are capable of reducing shipping emissions without compromising the sector’s economic performance.
I believe it should be possible to find an acceptable global solution for further reducing greenhouse gases, working together. Too long a delay on this would represent a real danger.
Improved environmental protection does not need to lead to extra costs. I am convinced that it can also offer a number of opportunities, even in the hard times that shipping faces today. Reducing fuel consumption by raising efficiency not only means lower CO2 emissions but also lower fuel bills.
Therefore, by uniting our interests, the IMO can act forcefully. In reiterating what I had stated earlier, we need to help each other to ensure that the IMO delivers safer and cleaner shipping, based on equal conditions for competition around the world. This is the way to act if we want to avoid the threat of unnecessary regionalisation, which is always around the corner.
The shipping industry can only win from this approach. And yes, we do we want shipping to prosper, to provide more and better employment and to drive innovation, so that it can serve a flexible, sustainable and competitive Fijian economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Coming back to this evening’s event, it is for everyone’s benefit when our Fijian families and friends abroad contribute their resources and expertise to help build up our country and invest in our ability – so the Fijian Government will continue to re-build our relationships with individuals, companies and organisations across the globe and encourage them to take advantage of the investment opportunities and incentives that await them in Fiji.
Today, those efforts have brought us the launching of the China Navigation Company Fiji Branch and a promising future for our shipping industry. And in the days to come, I look forward to the future infrastructure development and investment opportunities, this will bring to the Fijian people.
With those few words, it gives me great pleasure to officially launch the China Navigation Company Fiji Branch.
Thank You, Vinaka Vakalevu.