Suva, Fiji – Swire Shipping, a leading operator of liner shipping services in the Asia-Pacific, has opened its new branch office in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, on 1 October 2022. The new branch is Swire Shipping’s 24th office in the South Pacific, strengthening its commitment to customers, partners, and communities in the region.

Swire Shipping has a long history calling in to Tonga. For more than six decades – and via various liner services – it has moved import and export cargo, and now continues to serve the community via two liner services, Pacific North Asia Service and New Zealand Eastern Pacific Service. In the 1960s, Swire Shipping also operated a passenger cruise service that called at Tonga.

Alex Pattison, Regional Manager – Pacific Islands, reflects, “Swire Shipping began trading into Tonga in 1959, and since then, with the support of our agents, we have established our presence in the country. Now as part of a longer-term strategy to have our own offices where we have scale and makes sense to do so, we have set up the Nuku’alofa branch. This also reflects Swire Shipping’s continued commitment to communities in the Pacific Islands – to engaging with and investing in the communities in which we serve, work and live.”

Taking charge at the new branch office is Christina Heng, who has been with Swire Shipping for over five years and brings with her a wealth of prior experience in transport and logistics. She says, “Having our own dedicated office in Tonga will help us to retain a key focus on our activities and allow us to deliver our customary level of personal services, all with the aim of ‘saving our customers’ time’. To achieve this, we will be working very closely with not just our customers – but also our partners – to scale up our presence and service in Tonga that will connect into and be supported by our liner network around the Pacific Islands.”

Conveniently located at ANZ Building, Ma’ufanga Business Centre, the new office will also provide customers and partners with easy access to the Nuku’alofa Port and is within walking distance from the Ports Authority Tonga.

Alex adds, “The opening of the new branch office in Tonga will hold a special place in our history, being set up in our 150th year of operations. With sustainability taking centre stage for Swire Shipping in the next 150 years, we remain committed to enriching lives through connecting our customers and communities.”

Supporting the local community

Swire Shipping’s purpose is to enrich lives through connecting its customers and communities. With deep roots in the Pacific, the company sees it as both its responsibility – and a privilege – to be able to contribute to the local communities in a meaningful way.

In 2014, Swire Shipping assisted in a charity shipment of used computers, filing cabinets, keyboards, and related office supplies from Sydney to Nuku’alofa for the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) of Tonga. NEMO is responsible for emergency management across the country and responds to all disasters including cyclones, tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, and floods.

Its New Zealand branch also stepped up this year to assist Rotary International with subsidised shipping, organising customs and documentation services, and sourcing containers for shipments of Emergency Response Kits to Tonga. The kits are supplied to strategic regional outpost locations in the Pacific Islands for disaster preparedness, and contain essential items including cookware, shelter, water purification, birthing kit, tools, some clothing, and hygiene essentials.

Contact details of the new office:
Swire Shipping Pte Limited – Tonga Branch
Unit 1 ANZ Building, Vuna Road, Ma’ufanga
Nuku’alofa, Tonga
Email: cs.to@swireshipping.com
Phone: (676) 24188

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About Swire Shipping

Swire Shipping is dedicated to facilitating and growing trade in regions where it operates. It provides several high frequency liner shipping services in the Asia Pacific markets, and specialises in providing a wide range of specialist customer solutions for project, heavy lift, refrigerated, breakbulk and mini bulk cargoes. It connects 400 ports via an extensive network of services in the Asia-Pacific and globally, and maintains a worldwide agency network in addition to its own representative offices across the Asia-Pacific, Pacific Islands, North America and Europe, providing its customers with dedicated service and expert market knowledge.

Swire Projects, its projects division, provides specialist shipping services to the energy, resource and infrastructure sectors in the global project logistics market. In March 2021, Swire Shipping set up its integrated logistics arm providing door-to-door solutions for its customers, providing a single point of contact for customers for the full supply chain solution.

For more information, please visit www.swireshipping.com.

Contacts

Stella Choo
Corporate Communications Manager
Swire Shipping
Tel: +65 9126 2595
Email: stella.choo@swireshipping.com