One of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solutions providers has called PNG home for the last 35 years.
Orica is a company that knows what it means to grow with an industry.
Founded in 1874, the explosives manufacturing company has since grown and evolved into one of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solutions providers, with a truly global reach.
Landing on Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) shores over 35 years ago, Orica has steadily built a reputation and name for itself within the Pacific nation.
“Our presence in PNG began with some small gold mines running out of Port Moresby,” Orica area business manager – Eastern Australia, PNG and Pacific James Kirkpatrick told PNG Mining.
“We then began working with the largest 100-per-cent-PNG-owned miner when their mine started up. That’s when we started to see that in-country manufacturing was an option for us.”
Previously, Orica had been importing explosives to PNG as a finished product. But all that changed when the company built an explosives manufacturing plant in-situ at the mine.
“The new plant meant we could transport raw materials out of Australia into Port Moresby and manufacture the explosives in PNG,” Kirkpatrick said. “Now, Port Moresby is our major staging point for initiating systems for our major mining client.
“We also use that as a pivotal point for our cyanide supply, which we supply to mines in PNG for gold extraction.”
While PNG’s rugged terrain and geographical location can pose challenges for some companies, Orica has managed to overcome these obstacles to ensure its customers were supplied with the best.
“The challenging part about delivering to PNG is the logistics side of it,” Kirkpatrick said. “In the early days, we simplified that by relying on charter vessels so we could have security of supply, and we made sure to be strategic about our landing point.
“We picked the two largest ports in Port Moresby and Lae which meant we were able to look after the mining sectors in Western Province and out towards the Porgera gold mine.”
The other challenge Orica initially faced was PNG’s road networks.
“Everything has to go by ship,” Kirkpatrick said. “We had to be strategic about where our drop point was, which is why Lae was a key position for us because the road networks there go up towards the Highlands region.”
Securing these key positions in Port Moresby and Lae has made a world of difference to Orica customers.
“The COVID-19 pandemic really drove home how isolated PNG is,” Kirkpatrick said. “Getting even finished goods from Australia to PNG was near impossible, but now because we’ve set up our manufacturing facilities and our staging points in the country, we have enough stock in PNG to seamlessly service our customers.”
Orica’s support extends beyond PNG mining companies; the company is also a vital member of the wider community.
“We run community engagement programs and assist with some educational drives,” Orica territory manager – PNG and Pacific Islands Nic Bell told PNG Mining.
“We recently donated a computer classroom to a local community near our major mining customer and we have a lot of engagement with community events. Over the next 12 months, we plan to sponsor an impact fund to raise awareness through security, education and medical facilities.
“Engaging with communities is so important in PNG and Orica has become well-known for its community work.”
As 2025 progresses, Orica will continue to safeguard the security of its supply within the country, ensuring it has the necessary stock for its customers.
“With the gold price reaching all-time highs at the moment, we are well positioned to maintain a strong presence in the country and meet any increased demand from our gold customers,” Bell added.
“PNG is a gold-rich country and we want to make sure we’re there for the ride.”
For Kirkpatrick, the future lies in Orica’s strong relationship with PNG ports.
“We’re continually pushing for better, smarter, and more efficient ways to bring products in and out of PNG,” he said. “So not only is PNG an import business for us, it’s now also an export one, too.
“We’re manufacturing in PNG and exporting to the Solomon Islands and we’re looking to go as far out as Fiji. Without the engagement and the support of PNG ports, we wouldn’t be able to operate as effectively.”
Orica is also focused on growing its national workforce to support future endeavours.
“We have a big emphasis on making sure we’re training the national workforce up to become subject matter experts in the explosive space,” Bell said.
“We’ve put a big emphasis on training and upskilling to ensure we nationalise that skillset and future-proof the region to give wider employment opportunities.
“We see a lot of organic growth coming out of PNG and we’re poised to grow with the country.”
This feature appeared in the June–July 2025 issue of PNG Mining.
