Tuvalu News

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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)…

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)…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Australian designer and manufacturer, Austal handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to the Pacific Island country Tuvalu in a ceremony in Perth, Australia.This is the second of 21 GCPBs being gifted by the Commonwealth to 12 Pacific Island Nations and Timor-Leste under the Commonwealths Pacific Maritime Security Program."Austal is pleased to deliver this program for the Commonwealth of Australia. The Guardian Class has brought together the industry-leading skills of over 200 Austal employees, and is estimated to have employed an additional 200 people indirectly through the design, construction and sustainment process which will continue through the life of the program out to 2023" Austal CEO…

An important strategic objective for International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is improve the way its treaties and conventions are implemented, at the national level.Domestic implementing legislation is required but audits carried out by IMO reveal that, in many countries, it either doesn’t exist or is incomplete.To address this need, IMO offers an intensive 5-day workshop for lawyers and legislative drafters. It provides them with the tools they need to understand IMO treaties and how they are developed and adopted. The most recent such workshop was held at IMO Headquarters (1-5 October).Participants from 16 countries (Argentina, Czech Republic…

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.

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.

An International Maritime Organization (IMO)/Pacific Community (SPC) workshop in Fiji is supporting Pacific Island countries (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) to implement treaties dealing with liability and compensation. The workshop, taking place in Suva (26-29 September), is providing a comprehensive overview of the IMO liability regime, including treaties covering wreck removal, salvage, carriage of hazardous and noxious substances, passengers, CLC, Fund, Bunkers Convention and limitation of liability.

The Pacific’s wild weather and vast distances make it a challenging location for search and rescue, said Keith Manch, Director Maritime New Zealand, in his opening address at the Pacific Regional Search and Rescue workshop in Auckland, New Zealand (22-26 May). The objective of the workshop is to provide Pacific Search and Rescue (SAR) coordinators and responders with the tools to improve coordination between national SAR agencies. The event also aims to improve regional collaboration through formal protocols and communication ensuring a uniform SAR response throughout the Pacific. International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Carlos Salgado…

Yemen's worsening conflict is contributing to a spike in piracy in the region, with Somali pirates taking advantage of a reduced international naval presence and more readily available weaponry to carry out attacks. "The regional instability caused by Yemen is important," Colonel Richard Cantrill, chief of staff with the European Union's counter piracy mission EU NAVFOR, told Reuters last week. Fighting between Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition has spilled over into the shipping lanes through which much of the world's oil passes.

A Chinese navy ship handed over three suspected pirates to Somali authorities on Friday, police said, underscoring the determination of international naval forces to stamp out a resurgence of piracy this year. The pirates were involved in the attempted hijacking in April of the OS35, a Tuvalu-flagged cargo ship that was rescued by the Chinese navy after the crew sent a distress call. "A Chinese navy ship handed over three pirates to Puntland today," said Ahmed Saiid, the deputy director of maritime police forces in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland.

A distress call was received from a Foreign Merchant Vessel MV OS 35 (Tuvalu registered vessel), which was attacked and boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Aden late night on 08 April 2017. Indian Navy ships Mumbai, Tarkash, Trishul and Aditya proceeding on deployment to the Mediterranean and passing through the Gulf of Aden, responded to the call and rapidly closed the merchant vessel by the early hours of 09 April 2017. The Indian warships established contact with the Captain of the merchant vessel, who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room on board (citadel), as per standard operating procedure. An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night…

A Chinese navy ship supported by an Indian navy helicopter thwarted an attack by suspected Somali pirates on a Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship, India's defence ministry said on Sunday. The ship, known as OS 35, was reported to be under attack on Saturday. The Indian defence ministry said four of its navy ships in the vicinity responded to a distress signal from the ship and reached the bulk carrier early on Sunday. It said the crew had taken refuge in the ship's strong room, known as the citadel, once they learnt they were under attack in line with established safe shipping operating procedures. "An Indian Navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise ...

Somali pirates are suspected of hijacking a bulk carrier ship on one of the world's crucial trade routes, Reuters reported. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations piracy watchdog said on its website it had received a report from a vessel under attack and possibly boarded off the coast of war-ravaged Yemen. It gave no further details. However, a security source working at the Puntland Marine Police Force said the vessel was Tuvalu-flagged and is known as OS35. Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said industry sources had confirmed the hijacking. "Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise extreme caution," UKMTO said, without giving more details.

The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy completed an 18-day joint mission in the Central and South Pacific under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative to combat transnational crimes, enforce fisheries laws and enhance regional security. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 103 from Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team embarked USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and conducted 16 fisheries enforcement boardings with the assistance of the ship’s visit, board, search and seizure team and law enforcement ship riders from Tuvalu and Nauru.