21 November 2014: A regional workshop on regulations relating to the prevention of air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping sought to encourage more Pacific island countries to ratify Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). Currently eight Pacific countries are parties to MARPOL, according to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

The three-day workshop was organized by SPREP, together with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), with funding from the Government of Canada. It covered, inter alia: energy efficient ship design and technical energy efficiency measures; further measures to enhance energy efficiency in ships; onshore power supply and green port initiatives; and MARPOL Annex VI guidelines. Fifteen Pacific island countries and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) participated in the event.

Noting the expected growth in the demand for international shipping, the most energy efficient form of mass cargo transport, David Haynes, SPREP Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control, stressed the importance of a global approach “to further improve its energy efficiency and limit emissions to minimise the impacts on human health and the environment.”

Zabari Bazari, IMO, said energy efficiency improvements leading to lower fuel oil consumption by ships could result in significant cost savings for Pacific States, in addition to reducing emissions of harmful pollutants and GHGs.

Countries participating in the workshop were: the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Niue, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The workshop took place in Apia, Samoa, from 19-21 November 2014. [SPREP Press Release]