Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) Blog

Peter Nuttall if the IMO is unable to enforce its existing regulatory framework to prevent or control oil pollution being discharged to water from the shadow fleet, how will it be able to enforce a universal price on atmospheric pollution from the same ships using proposed MARPOL amendments. If it cannot, it appears IMO will not be capable of delivering a universal regulatory regime to achieve the 2023 IMO Strategy but only a partial one. As the IMO targets for emissions reduction are set at fleet level, the compliant portion of the fleet would then need to achieve additional reductions to offset those not being achieved by the shadow fleet. The Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization, the specialized UN agency for regulating world shipping, is highly confident that the IMO is on track to deliver agreement in April 2025 on a combination of measures, including a global price on emissions, that can be applied fleet wide to drive full decarbonization by 2050 in line ...

Credit: KR   I went sailing on a bright yellow outrigger canoe in the Marshall Islands in March. On board were Alson Kelen, founder of Waan Aelõñ in Majel (WAM, Canoes of the Marshall Islands), and a group of youngsters taking part in a climate justice workshop. Alson’s NGO is a hive of activity. Sailing ships, some finished and some under construction, surround an A-frame building right between the government-owned Marshall Islands Resort and the Ministry of Education on Majuro Atoll. Alson acquired the land decades ago from the country’s first president, Amata Kabua, for a symbolic dollar. As we sailed, he told us his organisation’s work is about “empowering the young men and women of the Marshall Islands, endowing them with the skillset essential to bring them into the global society”. It’s keeping the traditions of shipbuilding and wayfaring alive, while offering fossil-fue...

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons The Pacific Ocean, with its vast expanse and scattered islands, has long been a lifeline for nations like Fiji. But as the world grapples with climate change, these island paradises face a unique challenge: how to make their vital shipping industry sustainable without compromising their economic lifeline. Fiji, the largest of the small Pacific Island nations, finds itself at a crossroads. As a hub for regional shipping, it's both vulnerable to climate change and dependent on maritime trade. With 96% of its trade conducted via sea routes, any changes to shipping practices have far-reaching implications for the country's economy and people. So, what's the big deal about sustainable shipping? Imagine if shipping were a country – it would rank among the top six global polluters! The industry emits greenhouse gases equivalent to more than a billion tonnes of CO2 every year. For a nation like Fiji, already on the front lines ...

Introduction In a world where renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) stands out as a promising and largely untapped resource. This innovative technology leverages the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep-sea water to generate electricity. Additionally, OTEC offers a unique advantage - the utilization of deep-sea water by-products. In this blog, we will delve into the process of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion and explore the various potential applications of deep-sea water. In my previous blog post I explained a bit about the science behind the OTEC process, if you have not read it you can find it here . However, generally the process can be broken down into four main components. Seawater Selection: The first step in OTEC involves carefully selecting suitable locations where there is a significant temperature gradient between surface water and deep-sea water. These areas are typically found i...

John Taukave John (Jay-j) Taukave is a current researcher and technical support for the MCST and to the 6Pac-Plus delegations to the IMO.       Click here to read the blog post.

In order to steer Go Sail Cargo towards sustainable zero-carbon growth and global expansion, a new business entity must be created. Capital raising is first on the list and here we must be clear in our goals and informed as to how to achieve them, but thinking laterally and being prepared to abandon preconceived ideas, unless they dovetail with the aims of the new company, is essential. In order to be taken seriously any new entity must present a practical, viable, scalable and profitable proposition that is demonstrably beneficial to all stakeholders. One that fulfills a clearly identified need and does so in a non-invasive and non-polluting manner for the foreseeable future. Go Sail Cargo ticks all those boxes. It is my aim to develop a structure that is essentially cooperative in ownership and concordant in action. Specifically, the Pacific Nations, with their overwhelming dependence on maritime transport and centuries of advanced and intuitive navigational skills s...