Pacific Direct Line/Transam Shipping Tonga and Dateline Shipping Agencies have reached agreement to merge their respective agencies in Nuku'alofa.

In announcing the merger, Mr Olivier Ravel CEO of PDL and Mr Ross Chapman Managing Director of Dateline Shipping Agencies, confirmed that the new agency will be called Dateline Transam and will combine the experience of two strong, successful shipping agencies under the one roof, starting on 1 May 2007.

Dateline Transam Limited will be headed by Mr Ross Chapman who said he had been looking to the future by rationalizing the agency and aligning with a major carrier to the Pacific. Mr Fine Tohi will be Agency General Manager, supported by Mr Lupeni 'Otuhouma as Operations Manager and Mr Inoke Afu as Financial Accountant.PDL has been operating services to the Pacific Islands since 1990 and has a major shareholder in PIL (Pacific International Lines) based in Singapore.

Dateline Transam Limited will also service Principals including Reef Shipping, Hamburg-Sud, Greater Bali Hai Service, and Swire Shipping together with a number of Cruise lines and freight forwarders. The Agency also handles the Lloyds Agency in Tonga and does crewing for Inco Ships, ISM, Oceangas.

Mr Ravel thanked Mrs Amelia Tu'inukuafe, General Manager Transam, for her service to PDL for many years, who will retire once the handover process has been completed.