Pacific Towing's Liferaft Station Enables Safety At Sea’

Pacific Towing’s liferaft sales and servicing station has been keeping people safe at sea for nearly 30 years.  Located at Port Moresby’s Motukea Island, the station stocks a variety of high quality liferaft brands with servicing provided by internationally trained and audited technicians.  Liferaft leasing is also available.

Top quality international liferaft brands stocked by Pacific Towing include RFD and DSB from Survitec in the United Kingdom, Japan’s Fujikura and China’s Haining and HYF. Coastal as well as international packed liferafts are available, as are a range of automatic and manual lifejackets from Crewsaver and S.O.S. Marine. The popular and trusted Zodiac brand from Survitec will be introduced mid-year.
With more than 20 years in the industry, Liferaft Manager Morea Avuru is well positioned to understand his customers’ varying requirements.  “We stock many different brands, as well as different types of liferaft, which means that we can always provide customers with what they need” says Avuru.  “Furthermore, we hold stock and our turnaround is quick.”  Shipping companies, defence force vessels and commercial fishing operations utilise Pacific Towing’s liferafts and liferaft servicing. 
Liferafts must operate with 100 percent effectiveness 100 percent of the time if they are to save lives.  However, like all safety products, liferafts have a finite safe operating lifespan.  “During this lifespan” says Avura “even the very best quality liferafts are only as good as the technicians that service them”. 
Pacific Towing liferaft technicians are trained in Australia, China, Vietnam and Singapore, with its station run to international standards and regularly audited by both suppliers and the PNG National Maritime Safety Authority. Pacific Towing’s suppliers have all provided ‘Certificates of Approval’ for the station to service their liferafts.  All technicians are likewise certified.  Pacific Towing can service any brand of liferaft that it sells.  “Even if the customer didn’t buy their liferafts from us we can still service them if they are a brand we supply” confirms Avuru. 
If clients can’t get to Port Moresby for their liferaft purchases, the station can arrange delivery as well as collection of liferafts via the network of ports from which they operate.  Recently a foreign vessel required a replacement liferaft as theirs had expired (which meant that the vessel was no longer considered seaworthy and could not legally set sail).  The Pacific Towing team responded in the late evening on a Sunday, delivering the liferaft to an out-of-town wharf facility enabling the vessel to depart PNG waters and saving the owners unnecessary and expensive downtime.
Although sales constitute the bulk of Pacific Towing’s liferaft business, an increasing number of companies are taking advantage of liferaft leasing.  Avuru says that leasing takes the burden of servicing away from the customer.  “When a leased lifeboat is due for a service we simply swap it for another freshly serviced one.  It’s a hassle-free service that our customers really appreciate.”
  To learn more about Pacific Towing:  www.pacifictowingmarineservices.com.