P&O Cruises Australia Becomes Purchaser Of Vanuatu Natural Water

P&O Cruises’ regular ship visits to Port Vila have opened the way for the cruise line to become a major purchaser of Vanuatu Natural water from premier Vanuatu bottled water manufacturer Azure Pure Water Limited.

Given the frequency of calls to Port Vila from its homeport in Brisbane, Pacific Dawn will now be able to exclusively offer Azure Pure Water’s signature branded Vanuatu Natural water on-board.

Pacific Jewel’s record 5-month homeporting in Auckland with frequent calls to Port Vila means that it too will be regularly refreshing its supply of Vanuatu Natural water.

Under the newly signed agreement involving the supply of over 600,000 litres of bottled water annually, other Carnival Australia brand ships calling at Port Vila will replenish their supply with the local product as needed.

Sture Myrmell, President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia, said the agreement with Azure Pure Water helped bring to life Carnival Australia’s commitment to ensuring that cruising contributes to the Vanuatu economy.

“We are proud to support Azure Pure Water in this mutually beneficial business arrangement because we know that it supports local jobs and families,” Mr. Myrmell said. “The company offers a quality product which is vital to becoming part of the supply chain for our cruise operations. The combination of Pacific Dawn’s regular calls to Port Vila and Pacific Jewel being based in Auckland made the purchase of Vanuatu Natural water an excellent initiative.”

Shaun Gilchrist and Yael Sakker, owners of Azure Pure Water, said the supply chain arrangement was an acknowledgment of their efforts to raise manufacturing standards in Vanuatu to meet international expectations and best practice.

“It has been a 12-month journey for our business to reach this landmark, Vanuatu exclusive agreement with P&O Cruises Australia,” said Yael Sakker. “A journey which has seen us invest extensively in infrastructure, equipment, upskilling of staff, and processes, to improve our operations and products and to achieve HACCP certification for our business, thereby ensuring that our products meet the quality expectations of P&O Cruises and the international visitors they bring to Vanuatu and other Pacific Island countries.”

Azure Pure Water was established 23 years ago as Vanuatu’s first domestic supplier of bottled water and is the only HACCP certified supplier of packaged water in the archipelago.

While the business began as a family operation, in the years since it has developed to become one of the country’s largest manufacturers, based in Port Vila employing more than 50 ni-Vanuatu staff, some of whom have been with the company since its inception.

Since December 2016, the company has instigated a strong corporate social responsibility program which passionately supports a variety of community and sporting activities, including the Vanuatu 2017 Pacific Mini Games, and is currently partnering with World Vision Vanuatu to implement a groundbreaking plastic waste recovery and recycling program which aims to create a circular economy whereby recovered plastic waste is used as a practical resource to generate economic opportunities for individuals and communities in Vanuatu.

Both Azure Pure Water and P&O Cruises Australia wish to acknowledge the support of The Government of Vanuatu, Pacific Trade and Invest Australia, and South Sea Shipping (Vanuatu), in reaching this agreement.

(Source: Island Life Press Release 17 April 2018)

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