Swire Supports Developing Freighter Work
as ballast, the combination of mast and crane functions, and utilizing a shallow draft hull for beach landings might all sound good in theory, but how practical are they in real-time Pacific shipping situations? Fortunately, our Design Review Team represents a balance between the technical expertise provided by partners at the University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule Emden/Leer in Germany, and the practical, regional expertise of Hawaii-based Island Ventures Limited, which has operated the (a sailing vessel operating successfully from Hawaii through Kiribati to the Cook Islands for well over a decade). These partners are joined by the expertise of Captain John Rounds, who currently runs the Kiribati National Shipping Line following a storied career including time as South Pacific Community (SPC) Shipping Adviser and Director of the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF).
With the contributions from the Design Review Team, coupled with professional commercial guidance of Swire Shipping, the business case that Micronesian Centre for Sustainable Transport (MCST) is now preparing as a foundation for Phase Two of Project Cerulean will be supplemented by the contributions of the recipient of the preliminary design and costing estimate contract.
MCST invites qualified firms across the Pacific to put forth proposals to www.tenderlink.com/usp, as it is crucial to ensure Project Cerulean yields a vessel which may be easily constructed, operated, and maintained throughout its operation in the Pacific over the coming decades. The dual challenges posed by experimental technology and the limitations of the facilities, labour force, and supply chains of Pacific Island countries mean a low-carbon, low-tech, low-cost option is the brightest path towards a successful, sustainable future for the Cerulean Vessel.
In line with Swire Shipping’s concurrent initiative, the Moana Taka Partnership, the prioritisation of waste reduction in design propositions is being considered. Components such as locally grown and sustainably harvested timber for interior features, and recycled, remanufactured plastic for cargo pallets are expected to be integrated into the design and operations.
We want to set an example for best practices with other vessels to be built and operated in the region in the near future. Given the 40 per cent decarbonisation targets for 2030 now set by Pacific governments, a return to wind propulsion – tested over millennia and verified over the decades to yield an average of at least 30 per cent in efficiency savings – is clearly needed. Project Cerulean will represent a new class of inter-island freighter, ready and able to venture to the most remote atolls, supporting both domestic and international trade within the Pacific Island countries.