Pacific Island Countries Formalize a Clean Shipping Pact
Pacific Island countries have formalized a regional shipping pact, which is expected to deliver clean energy transition for the maritime industry across Oceania region.
The Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (PBSP) was signed last week by seven Pacific transport ministers at a meeting in Majuro, Marshall Islands. The countries represented during the signing include Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Palau and Tonga are also expected to sign the partnership.
For over a decade, the Pacific Island countries have been part of the 6PAC+ Alliance, mounting a high-ambition campaign at the International Maritime Organization(IMO) to phase out fossil fuel use in global shipping. While IMO member states continue to build consensus on global shipping emissions, the island nations said that the PBSP will help coordinate equitable transition in its region.
The ministers added that the PBSP is Pacific countries’ response to overhauling their domestic shipping, often described as a sector in crisis, trapped in a cycle of aged, poorly maintained ships servicing some of the longest, thinnest and highest cost domestic routes in the world.
Thus, PBSP seeks to re-orient climate funding for Pacific Island countries, with an aim to deliver a fleet of low-carbon vessels, climate resilient port infrastructure and skilled workers to ensure long-term maritime connectivity for the Island communities.
The PBSP Charter also established the organizational framework for the shipping partnership. The institution will oversee among other things funding mechanisms, governance and dispute resolution procedures, and the conditions for entry into force for the Charter. Marshall Islands capital Majuro was designated as the headquarters of the PBSP. The Marshallese transport minister was elected as the partnership’s inaugural Chair.
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“The signing of the PBSP Charter transforms a shared vision into a permanent institution that will help drive the transition to cleaner, more resilient and more affordable maritime transport across our region,” said Hilton T. Kendall, Minister of Transportation for Marshall Islands.
Under the PBSP, the ministers agreed to make an application to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to finance a demonstration fleet of wind-propelled vessels. Other targeted activities with GCF proposed funding include construction of maritime maintenance facilities, capacity building for seafarers and shoreside workers and institutional strengthening to kickstart the maritime transport transition.