The President of the autonomous Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville has confirmed the island will soon have its very own passenger ship for services to and from PNG.
Dr John Momis made the comments while defending the Bougainville government against accusations regarding its work with outside investors.
New Dawn reports the accusations claim the proposed new passenger vessel will be owned by PNG businessman Sir Henry Chow.
Dr Momis says the ship will come under the joint partnership of the government and Sir Henry.
He says both his government and Sir Henry put in 3 million US dollars each, meeting the cost of the new 6 million US dollar vessel which is currently still under construction in China.
Mr Momis says other memorandum's of understanding signed by the Bougainville delegation that visited China in 2010 have no legal or financial implications on the government, but through them Bougainville can seek assistance and guidance in developing industries to boost its economy.
