Pacific Towing, part of Steamships Limited’s Logistics Division, is Melanesia’s largest marine services business. Employing over 250 staff and owning a fleet of 20 vessels, the business provides a broad spectrum of marine services including towage, salvage, emergency response, commercial diving and life raft services.
Pacific Towing (PacTow), a leading provider of marine services in the Pacific region, has significantly enhanced its towage capability in Solomon Islands with the return of the tug Kavachi following a major dry-docking and refurbishment program in Singapore valued at $SBD8 million.
Kavachi, a Solomon Islands-flagged vessel managed and operated by a full Solomon Islander crew, has resumed service at the Port of Honiara, joining the powerful ASD tug Pacific Salvor. Together, the two tugs provide a combined bollard pull of 90 tonnes — Pacific Salvor at 50 tonnes and Kavachi at 40 tonnes — enabling PacTow to now perform two-tug harbour movements in Honiara for the first time.
This increased capacity allows the port to safely manoeuvre larger and more complex vessel arrivals and departures, supporting operational reliability while strengthening Solomon Islands’ maritime infrastructure. In addition to servicing Honiara, PacTow now has the capability to service Noro Port via mobilisation.
PacTow General Manager, Gerard Kasnari, said the return of Kavachi marks a significant milestone in PacTow’s long-term commitment to safe and reliable harbour towage operations in Solomon Islands. “PacTow is now well positioned to support the growing volume and size of vessels calling into the port. This upgrade not only strengthens port operations but also contributes to the broader development of maritime infrastructure in Solomon Islands,” said Mr Kasnari.
“Investing in Kavachi’s extensive drydocking and ensuring it continues to be crewed by Solomon Islanders reflects our commitment to maritime safety, reliability and localisation,” Mr Kasnari added.
Serving Solomon Islands for more than a decade, PacTow is committed to developing local talent. In 2025, PacTow awarded maritime cadetship scholarships to four Solomon Islanders, who are currently enrolled at Fiji’s National University’s Pacific Centre for Maritime Studies as part of their cadetship programme.
This article appeared in the April | May 2026 edition of DCN Magazine