Cadets at Pacific Towing (PacTow), a marine services business headquartered in Port Moresby and with operations in Oceania and South East Asia, are acquiring some valuable on-shore learnings despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
PacTow runs two cadetship programs; its own internal program as well as its ‘Women in Maritime’ scholarship program, a partnership with the Australian government’s Australia Awards and the China Navigation Company. Cadets from both programs have been participating in the dry-docking and maintenance of several vessels, including the tugboat Wombi.
The Wombi recently underwent a mandatory 4-yearly dry-docking in Port Moresby as per statutory requirements. The dry-docking gave cadets an opportunity to be exposed to the inner workings of the tug which in turn facilitated a greater understanding of the vessels they are being trained to operate.
Marine Operations Manager, Gerard Kasnari, notes that the dry-docking experience is not something that PacTow cadets would normally get the opportunity to enjoy.
“Dry-docking a vessel like Wombi, which involves extensive steel pipework replacements as well as engine overhauls, gives our Deck and Engine Cadets a greater appreciation of our tugs. It also helps the cadets understand and appreciate the work our maintenance and workshop teams perform, which in turn helps build respect and rapport amongst our workforce.”
“We miss being at sea,” admits Deck Cadet Melanie Yambun, “but I’m glad we were able to participate in dry-docking. We learnt a lot about deck and engineering layouts and systems which I know will benefit us in our professions.”
(Pacific Towing’s ‘Women in Maritime’ cadets, including, from left, Salome Kate Willie, Melanie Yambun and Naomi Erowa, who are being exposed to new learning opportunities as they participate in dry-docking fleet maintenance programs in Papua New Guinea)