Fiji is developing its first Low-Carbon Maritime Transport Roadmap as part of efforts to modernize the country's shipping sector, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support regional decarbonization goals.
The roadmap will provide a framework for transitioning Fiji's maritime industry toward lower-carbon operations while improving maritime data systems and supporting the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership's 2030 and 2050 decarbonization targets.
Fiji's Minister for Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, announced the initiative during the opening of a stakeholder workshop on decarbonizing the maritime sector in Suva on July 10.
"For Fiji, maritime transport is not simply another sector, it is our lifeline," Tuisawau said.
He noted that shipping is essential for connecting Fiji's more than 300 islands, supporting trade, tourism and fisheries, and ensuring the delivery of essential goods and services to communities across the archipelago.
The minister said the roadmap will help prepare Fiji's maritime sector for a low-carbon future while aligning with the country's development priorities and international climate commitments.
He also reaffirmed Fiji's support for an ambitious and equitable global transition through the International Maritime Organization (IMO), while emphasizing the need for financial support, technology transfer and capacity building to help Small Island Developing States meet decarbonization goals.
The one-day stakeholder workshop brought together government agencies, industry representatives and development partners to provide technical and policy input into the roadmap, strengthen maritime monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, and improve maritime data collection.
Tuisawau said the roadmap is expected to strengthen connectivity between Fiji's islands, improve the resilience of the country's transport network and encourage innovation and investment in cleaner shipping technologies.
The consultation was organized by Fiji's Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in partnership with the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The initiative forms part of broader regional efforts to decarbonize maritime transport, a critical sector for Pacific island economies that depend heavily on shipping for trade, mobility and economic development.
