FBC News 
[Photo: SUPPLIED]
Fiji is one of seven countries that have joined the inaugural Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (PBSP) Ministerial Council in a bid to address shipping issues in the region.
After inking the PBSP Charter, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Naoero, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Palau and Tonga Ministers and officials toured the Juren Ae, the first sailing cargo ship in operation in the region.
The Juren Ae was designed and built for the Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation to meet the needs of inter-atoll transport.
For over a decade, a coalition of Pacific states known as the ‘6PAC+’ have led by example at the International Maritime Organisation, catalysing global action on reducing international shipping emissions. The PBSP is these countries’ response to addressing domestic shipping, repeatedly 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.
The PBSP serves to implement future-proof maritime connectivity through a paradigm shift in climate funding for Pacific Island Countries.
The Partnership’s aim is to deliver fit-for-purpose maritime vessels, slipways, and skilled workers to ensure the long-term resilience and connectivity of island communities across Oceania.
