PacTow GM takes on English Channel swim for charity

PACIFIC Towing general manager Neil Papenfus could next year become the first person from Papua New Guinea to attempt to swim across the English Channel.

Mr Papenfus plans to undertake the open-ocean swim in October 2023 to raise money for Cheshire Disability Services, a charity for people living with disabilities in PNG.

The English Channel Swim is being supported by Steamships, a subsidiary of Swire Shipping and owner of PNG-based marine services company PacTow.

Mr Papenfus and Steamships raised PGK10,000 (around $4500) for Cheshire Disability Services a year ago when he completed a 13-kilometre swim in Fairfax Harbour, Port Moresby.

Next year, Mr Papenfus and Steamships plan to raise PGK100,000 for the charity (around $45,000).

According to PacTow, 100% of all sponsorship money will be donated to initiatives directly supporting people living with disabilities and their families.

Mr Papenfus said he expects to complete the journey from England to France in around 16 hours.

The shortest route across route to swim across the channel is 34 kilometres, but the route changes with the current and the rise and fall of tides.

“It’s not the distance, or even how long it’s going to take to do the swim that worries me, but the water temperature” Mr Papenfus said.

Mr Papenfus mostly trains in Fairfax Harbour, where the average water temperature in October is 26⁰ Celsius. In the English Channel, the forecast water temperature is 16⁰ Celsius.

The English Channel is also one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with 600 tankers and 200 ferries pass through the channel every day, according to PacTow.

Benard Ayioko, general manager of Cheshire Disability Services, said people living with disabilities in PNG are particularly disadvantaged.

“There are minimal resources and services to support them and their families,” he said.

“Stigma and traditional beliefs also often prevent families from seeking out what few services are available.

“Additionally, remoteness and the lack of adequate transport pose significant barriers to accessing desperately needed help.”

Mr Ayioko said the disability service relies primarily on fundraising initiatives, private donations and partnerships with different organisations.

“Without the support and generosity of businesses like Steamships it is impossible to do the work we do,” he said.

“We hope that lots of other businesses sponsor Neil’s English Channel swim too.”