Editing Pacific Forum Line (section)

==History==
[[File:KOKOPO CHIEF Container Ship.jpg|thumb|The ''Kokopo Chief'', a PFL container ship]]
[[File:MV Southern Trader. (19368569394).jpg|thumb|MV Southern Trader]]
The Pacific Forum Line was born from concern over the deterioration of traditional island tramp services due to containerisation. At the South Pacific Forum in Nauru in 1976 pacific nations agreed to establish a shipping line to ensure regular shipping services for the islands and encourage development.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110819407 |title=South Pacific Forum: Regional shipping line approved |work=Canberra Times |page=9 |date=29 July 1976 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The initial memorandum of understanding required the line to be incorporated in Samoa, operate a viable shipping service and attempt to make a profit, with any profit allocated between founding nations.<ref name=MOU>{{cite web |url=https://www.forumsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Memorandum-of-Understanding-to-Establish-Pacific-Forum-Line-Limited-1977.pdf |title=Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Pacific Forum Line Limited |publisher=Pacific Islands Forum |date= |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250869423 |title=Forum shipping line may begin late next year |work=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier |page=4 |date=28 July 1976 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The initial owners - the governments of the [[Cook Islands]], [[Fiji]], [[Kiribati]], [[Nauru]], [[New Zealand]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Samoa]], [[Solomon Islands]], and [[Tonga]] - all had an equal say in governance of the line, though each had a different financial stake.<ref name=MOU/> [[Tuvalu]], the [[Marshall Islands]] and [[Niue]] later became shareholders.

The first services began in May 1978, with a ship serving Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-335756159/view?sectionId=nla.obj-34087047 |title="If we break even, we’ll be laughing": PFL’s modest aim |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=49 |issue=8 |pages=77–79 |date=1 August 1978 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The company was immediately in financial trouble,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250419617 |title=Fate of Forum line in debate |work=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier |page=13 |date=1 August 1979 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and by 1981 was in danger of collapse.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126832177 |title=Muldoon Statement: Pacific Forum Line 'in danger of collapse' |work=Canberra Times |page=4 |date=7 April 1981 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Losses in the first three years of operations were more than US$16 million, and it continued to be supported by member nations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-338239629/view?sectionId=nla.obj-341690161 |title=Transport in the Pacific: Shipping |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=59 |issue=8 |page=24 |date=1 August 1988 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-339760471/view?sectionId=nla.obj-362738877 |title=MORE OZ, NZ, HELP FOR FORUM LINE |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=54 |issue=5 |page=6 |date=1 May 1983 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The line finally became profitable in the late 1980's.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-342810817/view?sectionId=nla.obj-352779769 |title=Forum Line shows how things can work |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=60 |issue=5 |pages=39–41 |date=1 May 1990 |access-date=18 September 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> By 1998, twenty years after being established, it was seen as an example of successful regionalism and had finally begun paying dividends.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/1998/10/07/pacific-forum-line-becomes-successful-shipper |title=PACIFIC FORUM LINE BECOMES SUCCESSFUL SHIPPER |author=Michael Field |publisher=Pacific Islands Report |date=7 October 1998 |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>

In 2007 the Forum received an apparently unsolicited bid from Pacific International Lines to buy the company. This was followed by bids from Swire Shipping and Fiji Water-Neptune Pacific Line.<ref>{{cite news |title=DRAWING THE LINE |work=Sunday Star-Times |author=Tim Hunter |date=11 May 2008 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> An extraordinary shareholders' meeting in March 2008 rejected any proposal to sell the company.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping sell-off plan canned |work=Fiji Times |date=20 March 2008 |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> Following the meeting, leaked emails showed that CEO John MacLennan had actively promoted the sale.<ref>{{cite news |title=Emails clue to strife in Pacific shipping |work=Sunday Star-Times |author=Tim Hunter |page= |date= 13 July 2008|via=EBSCOHost}}</ref>

===Purchase by Samoa===

Heavy losses in 2011 caused several of the owner countries to consider selling their stake in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/207560/queries-over-secrecy-surrounding-planned-sale-of-pacific-shipping-service |title=Queries over secrecy surrounding planned sale of Pacific shipping service |publisher=[[RNZ]] |date=1 October 2012 |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/7748121/Secret-sale-of-ship-line-a-threat-to-tiny-nations |title='Secret' sale of ship line a threat to tiny nations |author=Matt Nippert |publisher=Sunday Star-Times |date=30 September 2012 |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref> Following a bid by Singaporean company Sofrana, the Samoan government bought out the other countries in October 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2012/10/03/samoa-to-buy-forum-line/ |title=Samoa to buy Forum Line |publisher=Fiji Sun |author=Rachna Lal |date=3 October 2012 |access-date=18 September 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019042944/https://fijisun.com.fj/2012/10/03/samoa-to-buy-forum-line/ |archive-date=19 October 2012 }}</ref> In September 2013 it sold a 50 percent stake in the company to Neptune Pacific Line, a subsidiary of [[The Wonderful Company|Roll Global]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/9157693/Samoa-sells-stake-in-Pacific-shipping-firm |title=Samoa sells stake in Pacific shipping firm |author=Michael Field |publisher=Stuff |date=12 September 2013 |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref> The deal required PFL to continue to serve every Forum country except Tuvalu, Niue and the Marshall Islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/2013/09/16/samoa-government-sell-50-interest-pacific-forum-line |title=Samoa Government To Sell 50% Interest In Pacific Forum Line |publisher=Pacific Islands Report |date=16 September 2013 |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>

In 2016 the company merged with  Polynesian Shipping Line.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/2016/02/03/pacific-forum-line-polynesian-shipping-line-merge |title=Pacific Forum Line, Polynesian Shipping Line Merge |publisher=Pacific Islands Report |date=3 February 2016 |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>