Pacific nations work together on climate finance
Transport Ministers and senior government officials, from across the Pacific will convene in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, from 09–11 June 2026 for the inaugural Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (PBSP) Ministerial Meeting.
Lifeline
The Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership is an ambitious country-driven initiative for a large-scale climate finance investment to catalyse a transition to sustainable, resilient, and low carbon shipping. While shipping is the absolute lifeline for all Pacific island and archipelagic States, it has not so far been a focus of regional programs to slash dependency on increasingly expensive imported diesel and reduce climate change causing emissions.
Low carbon vessels
The PBSP will support its member states with the resources and opportunities to collaboratively develop and submit National Action Plans for their shipping transitions to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Implementing these plans will come at significant cost and the PBSP aims to enable collective access by member states to global climate finance modalities and sustainable maritime technologies required for their domestic shipping transitions.
Ministers will also consider a $300 million application to the Green Climate Fund to finance the building and operation of a demonstration fleet of low carbon vessels in participating PBSP member countries. The Juren Ae, the new Marshallese inter-island freighter, is achieving over 50% fuel savings using a mixture of sails, solar and innovative ship design. The next step is to introduce a range of low carbon vessels of types and sizes in common use throughout the region. In Majuro, representatives of the ten Pacific countries will work through formal agreement on the PBSP Charter and establish the PBSP Council and Office. The Ministerial meeting is the first of its kind and marks a significant milestone in advancing this coordinated, multi-countryapproach.
Presidential Special Envoy Albon Ishoda speaks
The Republic of Fiji and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are serving as Co-Chairs of the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership and will jointly lead the meetings. Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Marshall Islands’ Presidential Special Envoy for Maritime Decarbonisation, Albon Ishoda said the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership represents a transformative opportunity for Pacific nations to collectively shape the future of maritime transport in the region. “The Pacific depends on shipping for our survival, our trade, our connectivity, and our economic development. As custodians of one of the world’s largest ocean region, we must ensure our maritime future is sustainable, resilient, affordable, and aligned with our climate ambitions. The Pacific has worked hard over many years to drive a transition for international shipping, the PBSP is our blueprint for our domestic transition”.
Ahead of the IMO
Pacific States for the past decade spearheaded International Maritime Organization (IMO) negotiations over decarbonising the international shipping sector, and are widely acknowledged as being catalytic to driving ambition for global change. Now is the time to ensure that the States advocating for a just and equitable transition at the IMO are not left behind at home.
Foto boven: The International Climate Initiative
Source: Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership
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