Transport upgrades air and land divisions
Transport upgrades air and land
divisions
The Department of Transport is in
various stages of improving its civil aviation, land transport, and
vehicle registration and insurance sections.
Minister for Transport Reagan
Aliklik told parliament in April that the civil aviation division
is preparing to install a weather reading instrument which will
provide real-time weather information essential for landing and
departing aircraft.
The instrumental will complement
the existing weather reading station established under the National
Emergency Services (NES).
The minister says having weather
readings available at the airport and at NES ensures that multiple
sources of information are readily accessible as needed.
A scoping assessment was conducted
on 21 March by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The division's recent acquisition
of bird deterrent equipment has ably assisted in the prevention of
bird strikes on operating aircraft.
"Bird strikes have incurred a
significant cost to the airline's operations and remain a safety
hazard for all aircraft movement," Minister Aliklik said.
In the short time the Mega Blaster
Pro has been in use by DCA, early observations have indicated less
frequent bird strikes, the minister explained, however, additional
data is still needed over a longer period of time to determine a
more accurate trend.
Minister Aliklik also attended the
19th meeting of the Southwest Pacific Safety Forum
hosted by Air Services Australia in Brisbane in February.
The meeting brought together
representatives from air navigation service providers across the
South west Pacific, focusing on enhancing air traffic services and
runway safety and ensuring that deliberations were being formed
based on regional connectivity and economic prosperity.
The Nauru Civil Aviation Authority
is in discussions with the Transport Security Administration (TCA)
of the United States regarding the approval of the Nauru
International Airport as a TSA certified port.
This will primarily complement
Nauru Airlines' commercial flight routes planned from Nauru to
other US affiliated countries.
The process involves the Federal
Aviation Administration of the USA and other relevant entities.
Minister Aliklik will present any
developments at the next sitting of parliament.
After much delay owing to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the airport upgrade and road rehabilitation
project, commonly known as the runway resurfacing project, is
scheduled to have the scoping work carried out between July to
September.
Minister Aliklik said the $40
million project is being supported by the Australian Infrastructure
Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) through grant financing
package to ensure that Nauru's runway conditions comply with
international standards.
"It is a large scale project which
requires intricate planning and coordination to ensure that flight
disruptions are minimal, local employment opportunities are
maximised, and safety standards are upheld."
The airport runway was last
resurfaced in 1993 as part of the runway extension project carried
out by New Zealand based company, Fulton Hogan.
In the land transport division, the
agreement to procure two electric buses has been signed off on.
The buses will be added to the
public transport fleet.
The procurement is the cooperative
efforts of the transport department and the Department of Climate
Change and National Resilience, initiated under the Supporting
Mainstreamed Achievement Roadmap Targets of Energy in Nauru
(SMARTEN) project.
Minister Aliklik says with only
four staff the vehicle registration and insurance division (VRID)
continues to be one of the high income sources for the
department.
The division generated over
$500,000 in the first half of the current fiscal year.
"A significant influence on this is
attributed to the continued strive for road safety which has been
effectively implemented by the Nauru Police Force to which I
commend their efforts."
Minister Aliklik stressed that
continued vehicle registration and insurance helps keep vehicle
safety in check and roadworthy without mechanical defects that
could otherwise lead to accidents and potential fatality.
To further strengthen the system,
the VRID software underwent a significant upgrade by integrating
text messaging notifying vehicle owners of their vehicle
registration expiration.
VRID has also procured a number
plate embossing and hot stamping machine and blank plates to
produce vehicle number plates locally, significantly reducing the
purchase and delivery times to Nauru, and the logistical costs. The
equipment is expected to arrive by the end of the financial
year.
ENDS///