This 5-year Project, funded by the German Government under the IKI Fund, is intended as the first of a series of projects with multiple partners planned. As a cornerstone project of a broader national and regional work program, the Project was expected to integrate within the MCST program and contribute to the successful implementation of the MCST Framework. It is now being implemented solely under the GIZ programme portfolio.
The TLCSeaT project was intended to implement sustainable sea transport in two categories: on the lagoon, and on the open ocean between atolls. Sea transport in the Marshall Islands has been sustainable for millennia, and the main focus on the lagoon component is on traditional sailing, complemented by appropriate materials and techniques.
In TLCSeaT’s inter-atoll component, the project is working closely with the Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation. Beside low carbon technologies, solutions to be implemented will include maintenance, operation, and training aspects.
In addition to the two main elements of the project, it includes a policy component. Under the most recently shared timeframe, the project will conclude in May 2022, though this might be extended.
Focusing on existing ships in the MISC fleet, our project partners from HEL have produced a technical options catalog. The catalog weighs up a wide range of technological (and operational) options for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It forms part of the decision making basis for selecting a scenario (e.g. new-build or retrofit) for the inter-atoll component of the project. However, it is expected that it will prove useful beyond the scope of the project, as countries in the region embark on a low carbon future, and seek to demonstrate, replicate, and scale up shipping that provides safe and reliable service without the hot air.