| BACKGROUND
PNG as an island nation relies heavily on shipping. The costs of any marine incidents are potentially significant since they are likely to impact on trade, tourism and the environment.
A key element of shipping safety is the navigational aids network. There are two hundred and fourteen (214) functional navigational aids that have been rehabilitated under ADB funding and managed by NMSA. These are located in the coastal waters of the Milne Bay Province (57), the New Guinea Island Provinces of PNG (72), the National Capital District (9), the the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (17) and the PNG mainland coastline (59).
NMSA’s responsibilities include the maintenance and ongoing management of the navigational aids network, as well as any enhancements to the network via a capital works program.
A four-phased Rehabilitation of the Maritime Navigational Aids System Project for the coastal waters of Papua New Guinea funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) started in July 2004. Phase 1 covered 35 sites in the Milne Bay Province which was completed in November 2005. Phase 2 covered sites in the four New Guinea Island Provinces of West & East New Britain, Manus and New Ireland and was completed in August 2006. Phase 3 covered the New Guinea mainland coastline provinces of West Sepik, East Sepik, Madang, Morobe, Oro, Central, Gulf and Western. Completion of Phase 3 was in September 2007 while Phase 4 covering the Bougainville Island iin December 2007.
MANAGEMENT OF NAVIGATION AIDS NETWORK
When NMSA was established by an act of parliament in 2003, it was a reformed process aimed at enhancing efficiency and containing costs in the delivery of safety and other services to the PNG shipping industry. NMSA took over the marine regulatory and operational functions of the Department of Transport & Civil Aviation.
The objective of establishing NMSA was to improve performance and accountability through the structure of a statutory authority with an appropriate commercial charter. It was expected that NMSA would reduce the costs to the industry while ensuring that internationally agreed standards of safety and marine environmental protection were maintained.
In March 2006, NMSA reviewed and assessed some of its functions and selected one for market testing. Identified was the service associated with the maintenance of the navigation aids network and this service was outsourced as a result of the review.
Although the maintenance services have been outsourced, the responsibility for the strategic planning and capital works program of the navigation aids network remains with the authority.
The importance of the Navigation Aids Network
PNG as an island nation relies heavily on shipping. Although the PNG trading fleet is small by international standards, many foreign registered ships use PNG waters. The objectives of the navigation aids system in PNG, as in other maritime countries, is to provide a nationally integrated navigational support service that meets international standards and is responsive to the needs of transport providers and users. The navigational aids system in place not only caters for the economically most important international and coastal routes, but also supports social services to remote communities.
Table 1 below shows the composition of the navigational aids network which have been rehabilitated and are currently in use.
| Type of Navigational Aid | Number | Description |
| Lights on fixed structures | 179 | Traditional lighthouses and beacons with lights |
| Lit buoys | 3 | Anchored buoys that mark shoals, channels and other potential hazards. A lit buoy is a floating hull with a tower on which a light is mounted. |
| Unlit beacons | 27 | A marker fixed on shore or in relatively shallow water, commonly referred to as a day beacon or day mark. |
| Racons | 0 | Radar transponders – a receiver/transmitter device, usually fixed, that when triggered by a radar pulse from a ship returns a distinctive signal. |
| DGPS | 0 | |
| AIS | 5 | |
| Total | 214 | |
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