‘There is so much more we could achieve’
Last year was a shocker, international political chaos in the world’s leading economies, a global pandemic, economic catastrophy for our island states, no real progress on addressing the climate crisis and then a couple of Category 5 cyclones to round the year out. Can 2021 be any worse?
All in all, global shipping has come out of 2020 in better shape than was predicted.
Most sectors, apart from the devasted cruise liner industry, are reporting better than expected profit/loss line.
The inability to protect our seafarers, the frontline of keeping global trade moving, in time of extreme crisis, is an enormous black mark for the industry and all effort must be taken to ensure our mariners, more often than not from the poorest economies, are far better provided for in the future. Remittances from our Pacific seafarers still make up a major income for many Pacific states.COVID-19 has presented innumerable challenges for our domestic operators as well. The dramatic drop in tourism has been hard felt amongst owners, sailors and shore crews reliant on the tourist trade to maintain their operations.
Marinas and related industry defendant on the cruising yacht and superyacht industry have been devasted, despite the years of work invested in building Fiji as a major cruising destination and Government efforts with the Blue Corridor.
Domestic cargo and passenger travel has been under high pressure, both from the economic shocks but also the constraints of operating in a new COVID ‘normal’. Even after the vaccinations arrive and borders reopen, it’s going to be hard work to rebuild. As we have said in this column many times last year, the silver lining is the potential to build back better. The column last week in Fiji Sun entitled ‘New $3.5m Barge Ready To Serve Resorts’ caught my eye with its news of a new build landing barge being imported by Blue Gas Limited. A great announcement and good to see the fleet upgrade to new vessel taking place in the private sector.
This new vessel is a welcome addition and should improve logistics in this sector. But I was left wondering how much more we could have done? Two thoughts in particular came to mind. What would it take to have had this vessel built in Fiji by Fiji industry? The old adage of ‘give a man a fish’ is apt here. A $3.5m investment in the local shipbuilding industry would have been a welcome shot in the arm in these days of dark economic forecasts. Surely we must start to plan for establishing the right capacity and career paths to ensure we have the ability to capitalise on this type of opportunity for the future. It is, after all, only a 25metres landing barge. What would it really take to make sure the next new ship is built locally? My other question was in regards the vessel fuel and emissions efficiency.
In 2019 Fiji announced to the international community it would set a national target, alongside Marshall Islands, to reduce its domestic maritime emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050. A vessel such as the Bluegas is by its nature fuel hungry, you are basically trying to push a large box through the water against a lot of friction. As a newbuild, the vessel has an expected commercial life of 20 to 30 years.
What is Punja’s plan to reduce the emissions over the lifetime of the vessel to meet the Government international commitments on climate change?
What is Government’s strategy to provide the right enabling environment to assist Punja’s in this regard? And how do we ensure that both align to build a new sustainable local maritime industry? Fiji and the Pacific has won the world’s respect for our stand on climate change and 1.5 degrees. We have called out the rest of the world and demanded real action. Now it falls to us to deliver at home. The opportunities for Fiji to rebuild and revitalise an essential industry are in front of us now. We need the sector as whole to come together and address this a priority now.
As a dedicated centre of excellence delivering high quality research in this field, we stand ready to play our part in the best interests of the Pacific.