News in Brief
Graduate Development Program Alumni Spotlight
01 April 2025
At Steamies, we celebrate our exceptional people, and are proud to be shining a spotlight on our CGP alumni Alumita Chan.
Throughout her tenure with Steamships, Alu has gone from strength to strength, pushing her boundaries and completing her assignments to the highest degree. One particular achievement is her role in obtaining the EDGE Green Building Certification for our corporate headquarters- @345, the first in the Pacific.
Her hard work on this project recently earnt her the award of 2025 Female Innovator of the Year as part of the Business Advantage PNG Innovation Conference, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
The Innovation awards were designed to encourage growth and recognise & celebrate ground breaking advancements, creative solutions, and impactful initiatives across various fields, from technology and science to business and social impact. Four awards were given out by a judging panel chaired by inventor and futurist Mark Pesce .
- The inaugural Innovation PNG Award for Female Innovator (Sponsored by Moni Plus) was split between two entrants, Alumita and the other being BSP’s Penelope Aisi led the team which developed the bank’s recently launched Wantok Wallet mobile wallet.
- The Innovation PNG Award for Small Business (sponsored by Kina Bank), was awarded to Lae-based Environmental Health Development Agency for its all-in-one water, sanitation and washing station designed for use by village communities. The invention, called “Water SHE Technology”, is designed to minimise the workload, especially for women, of carrying water and washing in villages. The unit’s design and its successful trials, have already delivered the safe and hygienic facility to thousands of villagers.
- The Innovation PNG Award for Large Business (Sponsored by Remington Group) was awarded to superannuation fund Nasfund, for its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate the processing of the invoices it receives from its suppliers. Using AI has resulted in a 40 per cent increase in productivity in Nasfund’s accounts department.
- The Innovation PNG Award for Digital Government (Sponsored by Nasfund) was awarded to the Department of Information and Telecommunications Technology (ICT) for the development of an online police clearance application process, which integrates online payments with biometric fingerprint capture.
Unfortunately, Alumita was not present to accept her award, as she recently won a Scholarship as part of the PNG Australia Awards to study at the University of Sydney undertaking a Masters in Project Management.
Congratulations Alu! We are so proud of you!
PacTow Expands Cadetship Program
01 April 2025
Steamships at the Green Finance Summit 2025
27 March 2025
Steamships Trading Company proudly participated in the inaugural Green Finance Summit 2025, held from March 24th to 26th at the Hilton Port Moresby Hotel & Residence. Hosted by the Green Finance Centre (GFC), the summit aimed to drive inclusive, climate-resilient financial solutions and promote sustainable economic growth in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The three-day event brought together senior government officials, financial sector leaders, development partners, and private sector stakeholders from PNG, the Pacific, and international markets. Discussions focused on sustainable development, emphasizing policies that balance economic growth with environmental protection; climate vulnerability, addressing PNG’s exposure to climate risks and the urgent need for sustainable financial solutions; and economic diversification, exploring how sustainable investments can help expand PNG’s economy and create long-term job opportunities.
On Day 2, during Session 4: Green Opportunities for the Private Sector, Vele Rupa, General Manager of Corporate Affairs, delivered a presentation on Steamships’ sustainability initiatives, with a particular focus on EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Certification — an internationally recognized certification developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to promote energy, water, and material efficiency in building projects.
Key highlights of the presentation included:
- Steamships’ commitment to sustainability across its logistics, property, and hospitality operations, guided by its THRIVE sustainability Strategy.
- EDGE Certification as a key initiative to improve energy and resource efficiency in Steamships’ properties, playing a crucial role in the property division’s SBT/net-zero strategy to reduce emissions.
- @345 Building – the first in the South Pacific to achieve the EDGE Standard, demonstrating at least a 20% reduction in energy use, water use, and embodied energy in materials.
- Ongoing EDGE-certified projects, with a firm commitment to integrating EDGE and sustainability measures into all future developments from the design phase onward.
Steamships’ participation in the summit reinforced business’s critical role in driving green economic growth and strengthening climate resilience in PNG. Through continued investment in sustainable development, Steamships remains dedicated to building a greener future and collaborating with industry partners to advance sustainable finance and green initiatives.
International Partnership to Enhance Education in PNG
21 March 2025
Steamships, through EastWest Transport and Consort Express Lines were pleased support delivery of materials in an inspiring collaboration to boost literacy in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The Australian Government’s Partnerships for Improving Education (PIE) program teamed up with United World College of Southeast Asia (UWCSEA) Dover and other Singaporean international schools to provide books and essential school supplies to government schools across Central, Enga, and West Sepik provinces, as well as the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
Through the Classroom Library Initiative, supported by the Australian Government’s PIE program, these resources are helping to create engaging reading spaces for early-grade students (Preparatory to Grade 2)—fostering a lifelong love for reading and strengthening early literacy skills.
