Papua New Guinea is not known for its ease of doing business, especially for new market entrants. However, the PNG Business and Logistics Park, strategically located in the growth corridor between the Port Moresby CBD and the expanding LNG plant is helping mitigate this.

Central to the attractiveness of the 94-hectare development, is its privately owned port and container terminal, complete with 540 metres of wharf and a full suite of on-site logistics services and infrastructure. Tenants, including oil and gas majors, as well as diverse operators in their supply chains, enjoy purpose-built facilities and even on-site accommodation.

The PNG Business and Logistics Park is privately owned and operated by Avenell Engineering Systems (AES), a local company employing 450 staff (95 percent local content). AES has nearly 70 years’ experience delivering large-scale engineering, civil, and construction projects throughout PNG.

AES Principal, Dom Avenell, emphasises that there are several important drawcards to the business park but that its large, modern, and well-equipped port with more than 500 metres of berth is absolutely key. ‘Many of our tenants have a port requirement, and we are the only industrial park in the country that has its own port. We not only provide the full range of services you’d normally associate with a port and container terminal, but we’re also a project cargo specialist providing shore base logistics and staging.’

Avenell says another key drawcard for the business park is AES’ proven capacity to provide tenants with just about any kind of facility, no matter how large or complex. ‘Not only do we have the in-house expertise to do this, but we also have an enormous amount of space, ideal for when tenants need to scale up their operations.’

‘What really sets us apart, other than the fact we have our own port is that we don’t just provide tenants with “bare” buildings but all of the additional and necessary infrastructure specific to their industry and operational requirements.’

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Examples of facilities AES has provided its tenants with, include dangerous goods storage, specialised workshops, cement silos and truck loading facilities, petroleum storage and bunkers.

‘What really sets us apart, other than the fact we have our own port,’ says Avenell, ‘is that we don’t just provide tenants with “bare” buildings but all of the additional and necessary infrastructure specific to their industry and operational requirements. This ‘complete package offering’ is highly valued and goes a long way towards improving the ease of doing business in PNG.’

Another feature of the PNG Business and Logistics Park that appeals to tenants, especially those in the safety vigilant resource and energy sectors, are its safety systems and credentials. Avenell confirms that the business park meets PNG’s, as well as international safety standards, and that it complies with tenants’ industry-specific safety requirements. Furthermore, AES is ISO certified (that is  45001 OH&S Management; 14001 Environmental Management; 9001 Quality Management.)

In addition to these certifications, the business park’s restaurant and mess facilities that support its 300-person camp, are HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certified. Residents that choose to live in the park’s leafy and secure housing estate (45 x 1-3 bedroom homes) are also able to enjoy these facilities, as well as a range of recreational facilities and private medical clinic.

While Avenell is quick to point out tenant benefits, he is equally keen to emphasise the ways in which the business and logistics park benefits his home country. ‘In addition to the hundreds of PNG staff that we train and employ, are the thousands that our tenants collectively train and employ; and as the park fills up, these numbers will only increase. Furthermore, by making it easier for new operators, especially international operators, to launch or expand their businesses in PNG we’re playing an important role in attracting new investment and helping generate considerable tax revenue, all of which contributes to an improved economy and in turn, PNG’s development.’

To learn more about the PNG Business and Logistics Park, including its private port, infrastructure, purpose-built facilities, and accommodation: email inquiries to pom@aespng.com

Advertiser:  PNG Business and Logistics Park Website: https://aespng.com/ Email:  Phone: