SIMIC

PHILIPPINES' International Container Terminal Services, Inc's (ICTSI) business unit in Papua New Guinea (PNG), ICTSI South Pacific (SPICT), has welcomed the maiden call of the newly launched PNG Express service by Meratus Line, one of Indonesia's leading maritime and logistics operators.
The PNG Express is the first Indonesian service to operate in Papua New Guinea. It offers direct connections to Indonesia via Jakarta and Surabaya, Malaysia, Singapore, China, and East Timor via Dili, and launches every 28 days.
The PNG Express is the first Indonesian service to "This new service highlights the strategic importance of our ports in facilitating both regional and global trade for Papua New Guinea," said Robert Maxwell, ICTSI South Pacific chief executive officer.
He added: "We look forward to enhancing our partnership and cooperation with Meratus Line to provide PNG importers and exporters with increasingly frequent vessel connections to our neighbors in Indonesia and East Timor."
The Meratus Gorontalo, the first vessel to sail under the PNG Express service, made its inaugural calls to Motukea International Container Terminal (MIT) in Port Moresby on February 22, and to South Pacific International Container Terminal in Lae on February 26.
SPICT recently commissioned two new post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, the first of its kind and the largest port equipment in PNG.