A LOCAL seafarer sets history this week when he became the first Solomon Islander to be recruited by international liner operator, Swire Shipping.
Fred Langley was recruited under Swire’s seafarer recruitment programme.
In his first deployment, Mr Langley,39, from Guadalcanal Province, joined Swire Shipping’s multipurpose vessel, MV Chengtu, as 4thEngineer.
“I am running out of words to describe how happy and excited I am to be recruited by Swire Shipping and to represent my country as an international mariner,” Mr Langley said yesterday.
“I would like to thank Swire Shipping, Tradco Shipping and everyone who have made this possible for me,” he added.
“I hope this will provide a path for other Solomon Islanders to follow.”
Randy Selvaratnam, Swire Shipping’s regional manager for Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands, said:
“Swire Shipping has been a leading operator of liner shipping in the Asia-Pacific region for more than 140 years.
“One of our key objectives is to build long-term and rewarding partnerships with the communities in which we live and work.
“We would likedo our part to provide employment opportunities in Solomon Islands by employing local seafarers and pilot cadets on-board our vessels.”
Rod Begley, country manager of Tradco Shipping, commented:
“Tradco Shipping congratulates Fred on becoming the first Solomon Islander to be selected from the Swire Shipping Seafarer Recruitment Programme.
“Swire Shipping is renowned in the shipping industry and in the South Pacific for their high level of service, safety and professional standards.
“Fred’s accomplishment is an excellent example for other budding seafarers in the country.”
Coincidentally, Mr Langley’s seafaring journey began with Swire Shipping in 2001 asa cadet engineer on board MV Coral Chief.
He graduated from the PNG Maritime College as a Class 3 Engineer in 2003.
In 2005, he joined the Solomon Islands Maritime College as a lecturer in Marine studies, specialising in Safety.
From 2008 to 2010, Mr Langley joined Green Peace as 2ndEngineer.
Subsequently he returned to the Solomon Islands College as a lecturer and in 2014, completed his studies at the PNG Maritime College to become a Class 2 Maritime Engineer.
Swire Shipping
Swire Shipping is the liner shipping division of The China Navigation Company (CNCo) and operates multiple liner trades in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America and the nations of the South Pacific, in addition to providing services to India, the Middle-East and Europe.
Swire Shipping’s network of services operates a versatile fleet of multipurpose ships capable of carrying a wide range of cargoes including containerised, refrigerated, project, breakbulk and heavylift cargoes.
