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Kiribati News

26 Feb 2024

US Coast Guard Boards Chinese Fishing Boats Near Kiribati

The USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) crew pick up Kiribati Police Maritime Unit officers and recruits from the Guardian-class patrol boat RKS Teanoai II (301) in Tarawa, Kiribati, on Feb. 16, 2024, during an exchange. (Photo: Nicholas Haas / U.S Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard and Kiribati police boarded two Chinese fishing boats during a patrol against illegal fishing in the Pacific Islands nation's vast exclusive economic zone this month but found no issues aboard, a coast guard official said.The United States is seeking a bigger role for its coast guard in helping remote Pacific Islands nations monitor millions of kilometres of ocean - a rich tuna fishing ground - a move that also boosts surveillance as a rivalry with China over security ties in the region intensifies.Reuters reported on Friday that Chinese police are working in Kiribati…

11 Dec 2023

Nations and Industry Partners Respond to Green Shipping Challenge

Source: Yara

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry are co-leading an international initiative to accelerate reduction of emissions from the shipping sector, and on December 1, during COP28, they chaired a new round of announcements under that initiative, the Green Shipping Challenge.Various countries and organizations proposed measures to reduce emissions from shipping. This year’s announcements include:• Amazon: Amazon and other…

22 Nov 2023

Austal Delivers Samoa-bound Patrol Boat

Nafanua III is the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered by Austal to the Australian Department of Defense under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project SEA3036-1. (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia division has delivered the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, Nafanua III, was accepted by representatives from the Department of Defense and then gifted by the Australian Government, to the Samoa Police Service at a handover ceremony held at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on Wednesday.Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said Nafanua III is the third Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered by Austal in 2023…

06 Oct 2023

Austal Delivers Patrol Boat for Papua New Guinea

The ceremony was attended by Australia’s Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister for Veterans Affairs, The Hon. Matt Keogh MP, and Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence, The Hon. Win Bakri Daki MP. (Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia arm has delivered the 17th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, HMPNGS Gilbert Toropo, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force at a handover ceremony held at the HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia.The new Guardian-class Patrol Boat is the fourth of four vessels to be gifted to Papua New Guinea under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project…

06 Sep 2023

15 Nations Sign Beijing Convention

Source: CMI

The United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (also known as the Beijing Convention) was signed by 15 nations and regions at a signing ceremony in Beijing on September 5, 2023.Signatories were: China, Burkino Faso, Comoros, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Kiribati, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland and Syria. It will come into force when it is ratified by three state parties. The Convention…

02 Nov 2022

Australia Orders Another Patrol Boat from Austal

(Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal Limited announced that the Australian Government has ordered an additional Guardian-class Patrol Boat from Austal Australia for A$15.2 million.The 39.5-meter steel hull patrol boat, to be constructed in Western Australia and delivered in September 2024, is in addition to the 21 Guardian-class Patrol Boats ordered by the Australian Government under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1) in 2016.Fifteen of the 21 vessels have been delivered to 11 Pacific Island nations under the Australian Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program…

27 May 2022

Austal Delivers 15th Guardian-class Patrol Boat

(Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia arm has delivered the 15th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, Te Kukupa II, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Cook Islands at a certificate signing ceremony at Austal’s shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.The new Guardian-class Patrol Boat replaces the original Te Kukupa, a Pacific-class Patrol Boat gifted to the Cook Islands in 1989 and recently decommissioned…

02 Aug 2021

Australia Gifts Newbuild Patrol Boat to Vanuatu

(Photo: Austal)

The Australian Department of Defense has handed over a newly built patrol boat to the Republic of Vanuatu. The vessel, the RVS Takuare, was gifted by the Australian Government to the South Pacific Ocean nation at a certificate signing ceremony held at the Australian Marine Complex, in Henderson, Western Australia.The vessel is the 12th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) built by Austal Australia and the first to be delivered to Vanuatu under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…

18 Jun 2021

Austal Delivers 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat

From left: Austal CEO Patrick Gregg, RADM Wendy Malcolm CSM RAN, Honorary Consul General to Kiribati Paul Wenham, Superintendent of Police and Commanding Officer of RKS Teanoai II, Tom Redfern, Ilona Wenham, Vince Connelly MP, Member for Stirling and Air Commodore Fiona Dowse, Senior Officer ADF Western Australia, with the crew of the RKS Teanoai II at Austal’s Henderson Western Australia shipyard. (Photo: Austal)

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced on Friday it has delivered the 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, the RKS Teanoai II, was then gifted by the Australian government to the government of the Republic of Kiribati during a ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.The vessel is the first Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered to Kiribati under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…

17 Mar 2021

Australia Gifts Newbuild Patrol Boat to Papua New Guinea

The future HMPNGS Rochus Lokinap is a 39.5 metre Guardian Class Patrol Boat, designed and constructed by Austal Australia. (Image: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced it has has delivered the ninth Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, the future HMPNGS Rochus Lokinap, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Papua New Guinea Defense Force at a ceremony held at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.The vessel is the second of four Guardian-class Patrol Boats to be delivered to Papua New Guinea under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project, part of the Australian Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program…

02 Nov 2020

Austal Builds Patrol Boat for Tonga

VOEA Ngahau Siliva is a 39.5-meter Guardian Class Patrol Boat, designed and constructed by Austal Australia. (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilder Austal Limited announced that its Austal Australia division has delivered the eighth Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense.The vessel, VOEA Ngahau Siliva, was gifted by the Australian Government to the Kingdom of Tonga during a handover ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard on Friday.Austal Chief Operating Officer and CEO Designate Patrick Gregg noted VOEA Ngahau Siliva was the second Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered…

23 Sep 2020

Austal Delivers Palau Patrol Boat

The PSS President Hi.I Remeliik II is a 39.5 metre Guardian Class Patrol Boat, designed and constructed by Austal Australia. (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilder Austal Australia has delivered the seventh Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, PSS President H.I. Remeliik II, was gifted by the Government of Australia to the Government of Palau during a handover ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.Austal Chief Executive David Singleton said this Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivery was unique as it is the first to take place under COVID-19 restrictions.The 39.5-meter steel monohull patrol boat—designed…

20 Nov 2019

IMO Supports Women in Port Management

What do successful, well-run ports and female empowerment have in common? Both can make a significant contribution to sustainable economic development.International Maritime Organization (IMO)  provided support to eight female officials from developing countries, with an emphasis on Pacific Small Island Developing States, attended a Port Senior Management Program held at the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) in Nahalal, Israel, (6-19 November).The two-week course provides participants with key information and updates on innovations in the port industry. The participants are from: Cabo Verde, Fiji, Kiribati, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea…

02 Jul 2019

GloFouling Gets Going in Pacific

The initial phase of the Glofouling Partnerships project is now well and truly underway with a series of technical workshops in the Pacific, stated  International Maritime Organization (IMO).The UN body said that the key message delivered to participants was that once introduced, marine invasive species can be hard to eradicate - and invasive species represent a potential major threat to the Pacific Ocean's biodiversity and the ecological integrity of Small Island Developing States.The GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project aims to protect marine biodiversity by addressing bio-invasions by organisms which can build up on ship's hulls and other marine structures.Meanwhile…

24 May 2019

Teaching Teenagers About Oil Spill Issues

Discussions on oil pollution prevention, preparedness and response took centre stage this week (20-24 May) at the latest edition of Spillcon 2019 in Perth, Australia.The forum included sessions on cause and prevention, response management and environmental issues.A raft of high calibre national and international speakers addressed the conference on their particular areas of expertise. However, this year, the audience also invited 12 to 15 years olds to join the event to learn more about issues related to environmental protection, oil and chemical pollution, preparedness and response. The curious students took part in a range of activities…

22 Nov 2018

Pacific Region to Enhance Maritime Traffic

To help increase ratification of the FAL Convention and improve understanding of its requirements, two National Seminars on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic have been delivered by International Maritime Organization (IMO), in cooperation with the Pacific Community (SPC), in Tarawa, Kiribati (14-16 November) and in Honiara, the Solomon Islands (20-22 November)."When the communication between ships and port is smoothly run, shipments move more quickly, more easily and more efficiently. This is where IMO’s Facilitation (FAL) Convention comes in," said a press note from IMO.Twenty-one participants from public authorities, agencies and private stakeholders attended the seminar in Kiribati…

02 May 2018

Women Empowerment in Pacific Maritime

Women in maritime are a key contributor to the maritime transport sector. This was the message of Helen Buni from International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s gender programme as she opened the second regional conference for Pacific Women in Maritime held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, (26–28 April). The conference highlighted the significant progress made by the women in maritime association (WIMA) in the Pacific to integrate more women into the industry. The event reaffirmed the objectives to guide the Pacific region towards gender equity and equality in the maritime industry – as well as working to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (to empower all women and girls).

03 Apr 2018

Pacific Calls For Decarbonising Shipping By 2050

In a comprehensive analysis of what is needed to decarbonise international shipping by 2035, the report recommends setting a clear, ambitious emissions-reduction target to drive decarbonisation of maritime transport, supporting the realization of emissions-reduction targets with a comprehensive set of policy measures and providing smart financial incentives to advance the decarbonisation of maritime shipping. “The OECD report, closely followed by the call of the European Shippers Association for a target of decarbonisation by 2035, vindicates our Pacific member states’ principled stance on the IMO debate on shipping emission reduction.

20 Mar 2018

CNCo, SPREP Ink Recycling MOU for Pacific Islands

The China Navigation Company (CNCo) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP) have today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to address critical waste management issues in the Pacific islands. Known as the “Moana Taka Partnership”, this MOU allows for CNCo vessels to carry containers of recyclable waste from eligible Pacific island ports, pro bono, to be sustainably treated and recycled in suitable ports in Asia Pacific. “This historic partnership will be of great benefit to our Pacific islands, and one for which we are very appreciative to The China Navigation Company,” said Kosi Latu, Director General of SPREP. “Our Pacific islands face an immense waste management challenge.

20 Feb 2018

Seas to Continue Rising Even if Climate Goals Are Met

© digidreamgrafix / Adobe Stock

Sea levels will rise between 0.7 and 1.2 metres (27-47 inches) in the next two centuries even if governments end the fossil fuel era as promised under the Paris climate agreement, scientists said on Tuesday. Early action to cut greenhouse gas emissions would limit the long-term rise, driven by a thaw of ice from Greenland to Antarctica that will re-draw global coastlines, a German-led team wrote in the journal Nature Communications. Sea level rise is a threat to cities from Shanghai to London…

30 Jan 2018

US, Australia Join Search for Kiribati Ferry Survivors

(File photo: Jayson Tufrey / Royal Australian Navy)

United States and Australian aircraft joined the search for passengers of a missing ferry off Kiribati on Tuesday, as rescuers scoured the central Pacific Ocean for a liferaft believed to be carrying survivors. Eight people rescued from an drifting dinghy on the weekend said the ferry broke up soon after setting out on Jan. 18 and that they had seen other passengers scramble aboard a liferaft. "There is a definitely a possibility that the people in the liferaft are alive given that only a short while ago we found people in an open dinghy alive…

29 Jan 2018

Search Resumes after Eight Survivors of Kiribati Ferry Rescued

New Zealand military planes on Monday were scouring a section of the Pacific Ocean for more survivors from a missing ferry after eight people were rescued from a dingy that was adrift for days. The survivors, including an unconscious teenage girl, were safely transferred to a nearby fishing vessel late on Sunday, Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb told Radio New Zealand. The air search resumed at first light on Monday, he said. The New Zealand Defence Force had originally said there were seven survivors, but later revised the number to eight in a statement. The 17-metre (56-foot) ferry with 50 people on board was reported missing on Jan. 20, two days after it departed Nonouti Island on a 250-km (155-mile) trip to Betio in Kiribati.

26 Jan 2018

Rescuers Searching for Overdue Kiribati Ferry

Search and rescue crews are searching for a Kiribati passenger ferry that has gone missing with an estimated 50 people on board in the central Pacific. The 17.5-meter wooden catamaran MV Butiraoi was reported overdue Thursday night, after departing Nonouiti on January 18 for a two-day, 260-kilometer voyage to Betio Tarawa. “We understand the vessel underwent repairs to its propeller shaft just before it departed. This may have contributed to problems navigating the journey,” said Rescue Coordination Center of New Zealand (RCCNZ) senior search and rescue officer John Ashby. “The weather in that part of the Pacific is currently moderate with some swells,” Ashby said.