Fiji is working closely with the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) Network in the Pacific, on the installation of the Propeller Boss Cap Fins on government vessels.
When attached to the propeller of a vessel, the energy-saving devices enhances propeller efficiency by using less fuel and reducing emission, a development Permanent Secretary Trade Shaheen Ali said would help Fiji in its transition to a greener maritime sector and in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships.
Speaking on the occasion of World Maritime Day, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary of Trade and Infrastructure Shaheen Ali said the partnership with MTCC has enabled Fiji to make some inroads in this regard by the provision of a fiberglass boat fitted with a solar-powered outboard electric engine – in a first for the Pacific – to fisherwomen in Nakalawaca village.
“Global shipping emissions are responsible for roughly 3 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This has grown over the years – creating an urgency to act. We, as a nation, contribute only 0.006 percent to global emissions. But we have never shied away from taking a leadership role or decisive steps,” Mr Ali said.
“We have made a global commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, under the Paris Agreement. Nationally, we have legislated this commitment through the Climate Change Act 2021. We have also pledged to reduce our shipping emissions by 40 percent by 2030. We are now in the decade of action. So this year’s World Maritime Day theme, “New Technologies for Greener Shipping” is extremely important if we are to pivot to carbon neutrality.”
Mr Ali said the transition also meant developing local talent – seafarers, captains, and engineers – and building their capacities in new technology to aid in the transition and sustain these green shipping initiatives.
