Solution to support identified transport issues
THE Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) at USP is confident that the Project Cerulean vessel will certainly be more reliable in profiting efficient and affordable service.
MCST Project Cerulean project officer Andrew Irvin said the vessel, as a newly devised solution to support identified transport issues is more reliable in profiting efficient affordable service than the current paradigm of old largely secondhand, fossil fuel-reliant craft.
"It is acknowledged that this vessel will only provide a single example but it is intended to be devised as the best fit for the region, and may be replicated to meet the scale of varied needs on other routes across the Pacific," he said.
"Project Cerulean represents a joint research undertaking arranged between USP's Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) and Swire Shipping. It was announced during the Pacific Islands Transport Forum & Exposition hosted at USP in November, 2018. "
He said the project aims to provide a model for more equitable, efficient, and comprehensive maritime transport services to connect remote populations across the nations of Oceania.
"The confluence of well-tested Pacific maritime traditions, technology, and willing partners should yield a vessel (and a viable route) designed to further serve Pacific Island Countries," he said.
"The opportunity for applied research in the coming years should support broader sustainable sea transport operations in the coming years.
"We are now approaching the halfway point of Phase 1, which includes consideration of available routes (encompassing USP member nations between the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Fiji).
“At the conclusion of Phase One, the business case now under development for the operation of a small, low-carbon freighter will be presented."
He said MCST and Swire will consider the specifications required for the most encouraging and viable operational scenario for future investment of resources and research efforts, and a new business model will be presented to build and commission in Phase 2 (proposed to begin next year) and operate & monitor route performance over a 2-year period during Phase 3.
"It should be noted that Project Cerulean is one of many initiatives led by MCST, and the integrated approach to generating transport solutions is operating at various scales, beyond applied research projects such as this on-the-ground effort," he said.
"It also includes critical policy work on the global stage with Pacific Island Countries in the International Maritime Organization, as well as developing the financial and technical structure of Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (spearheaded by the leadership of Fiji and RMI).
"If we want to deploy a solution that supports not just one route, but a transportation transformation benefiting the whole region, it means shifting the paradigm at all levels, and doing so rapidly with the engagement of all parties in the public and private sectors informed by well-founded, readily available research."