Promoting energy efficiency in maritime transport

PORT VILA, Vanuatu—A maritime transport energy efficiency workshop, currently underway in Port Vila, Vanuatu, is seeking to establish a platform for collaboration between key players to advance energy efficiency in the Pacific maritime transportation system.

This regional workshop is being hosted by the government of Vanuatu in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the International Maritime Organization.

Edmund Hughes, IMO’s head for Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency in the Subdivision for Protective Measures of the Marine Environment Division, stated that shipping, as the most cost effective and energy efficient mode of mass cargo transport, makes a vital contribution to international commerce and is a key pillar for the development of a sustainable global economy.

Hughes also stated that mandatory energy efficiency requirements for international shipping have been in force for nearly four years, leading to over 1,900 oceangoing ships being certified to the new requirements; and it is hoped that through input to this regional workshop, IMO will seek to raise awareness on the development of policy and strategy to effectively implement the international requirements.

Maritime transport is deemed as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and it is a top priority for action in the context of climate change and its impact in the Pacific region.

The recent ratification of the Paris Agreement and the decisions made at the last Maritime Environment Protection Committee held in London in October this year pave the way toward a more energy efficient maritime transport.

The three-day workshop, attended by the heads of maritime and energy administrations from Pacific Island countries and territories, will discuss initiatives to improve energy efficiency onboard ships and in maritime port infrastructures, alternative and cleaner fuel provision to ships and new technologies and innovation in port and shipping.

“This regional workshop is an important step toward a more energy efficient maritime transport in the Pacific,” SPC’s Deputy director Transport Thierry Nervale said.

“It is essential to bring to the attention of maritime administrations the last developments at the international level and the benefits that can be expected from small-scale solutions for the Pacific to improve the energy efficiency of domestic ships and ports thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels,” Nervale added.

The outcome of the workshop will improve knowledge of participants in energy efficiency measures in maritime transport, to inform appropriate actions in order to scale up energy efficiency operation of ships and ports in the Pacific region.

The workshop ends today. (SPC)