The research to date has established a strong theoretical case that a shift from fossil fuel-­‐powered sea transport to energy-­‐efficient designs and renewable energy
technologies will result in a range of positive development initiatives. There is demonstrated potential to significantly reduce fossil fuel dependency and cost-effectively increase connectivity.

Anton Flettner invented and proved the Flettner Rotor that utilises the Magnus effect for propulsion in the 1920s as an effective method of reducing fuel use and increasing ship stability for commercial bluewater shipping.  This paper examines the potential use of this technology for reducing Oceanic shipping costs for both transport and fishing at all levels of vessel size.

This paper reports on initial assessments of applicability and availability of potential abatement measures for Pacific domestic shipping scenarios that are being considered for emissions abatement for common Pacific Island vessel types. The studies have been undertaken to inform the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (PSBP), an initiative led by Fiji and Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) to catalyse a multi-country transition to sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon shipping, drawing down to zero-carbon domestic shipping in participating Pacific Island Countries (PICs) by 2050, with a 40% reduction achieved by 2030. 

this paper argues that donors and agencies need to reconsider their strategies for the development of transport infrastructure in the Pacific. The drive to enhance regional cooperation and integration by the leaders of the Pacific over the last two decades has produced mixed results. The fact that PIC leaders and officials regularly meet and talk about the need to cooperate does not mean that they have the infrastructure for cooperation. Cooperation and regional integration will be better achieved when people, business, firms, and other enterprises are able to connect with each other. Many PICs find it difficult to connect with others in the region and also find that different islands in their own jurisdictions are not able to connect. This article can be found here

This small study highlights the debate that coastal/island communities that are reliant on externally controlled fossil fuel driven transport are heavily restricted in their development options, and in particular the need to focus on finding alternatives to fossil fuels for local use.

Opinion editorials published by Ana Madigibuli, Andrew Irvin, Alison Newell, Mark Borg, Maria Sahib and Peter Nuttall in the Fiji Times and Fiji Sun 2019-2020.

Project: LowcarbSTOcean

Programme: Transformations to Sustainability Programme.  International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress (ISSC)

This report provides information on the inception phase to address the need for developing a regional programme for transitioning Pacific countries and communities to low carbon transport futures, through a Sustainable Sea Transport Talanoa that was held in July, 2014 at the University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji,

Chapter Working title on Low Carbon Maritime Technologies for Pacific Island Countries

Phd Thesis.

this study recommends the following: (i) The head of the maritime administration to lead international shipping emissions negotiations at IMO; (ii) A long-term sustainable financing mechanism be developed to improve resourcing within maritime administrations for low carbon shipping work; (iii) A review of national development plans and relevant sector plans be undertaken in order to mainstream and harmonise provisions for shipping emissions across these policies; and (iv) A regional strategy for decarbonisation of the international shipping sector be developed using an all-inclusive approach.

This Research studies the impacts of fuel prices on the domestic freight and passenger costs on producers and consumers of Lomaiviti, Fiji, and how the impacts could be minimised with the introduction of renewable energy.  Study area for this research was Nairai, Gau and Batiki.

Goundar aims to look into the role of Pacific Island States in decarbonisation of the international shipping sector, looking at policy options that can support the net-zero emissions in shipping and findings reveal that Pacific States have had transistioned to an obscure role to a more influential role since 2015. 

Manuscript Abstract: This paper outlines USP’s current one-year inter-disciplinary Sustainable Sea Transport Research Programme which focuses on micro and macro economic analysis of selected case studies and on maintaining momentum of a collaborative network of stakeholders and expertise established in 2012. It describes the need and potential for a longer-term programme of research, including practical trialing of two designs of renewable energy vessels in a ‘real world’ commercial scenario in the Pacific Islands.

Oceania is the most dependent region in the world on imported fossil fuel. Major investment has been made in reducing fuel dependency for electricity. Transport is currently the ‘missing link’ in a regional drive to a low carbon energy future. Of the transport sub-sectors, the marine sector should be the first priority, reflecting its critical importance to all aspects of socio-economic development and recognising the growing move toward ‘green growth’. This strategy prioritises the needs of the small-scale local transport users as its initial primary focus.  It favours a ‘bottom-up’ approach by focusing first on the domestic scenario of local transport needs. The lack of profile to date on renewable energy transport allows the region an opportunity to learn from the lessons from introduction of renewable energy electricity generation and to develop a region-wide, coordinated and monitored programme of transition in this critical sector...

a fast developing body of research identifies an alternative future pathway involving a structured transition to low carbon shipping. This brief outlines the main features of this emerging field and identifies the policy choices that must be made to enable a more sustainable Pacific islands sea transport future.

This paper summarises research and options for sustainable sea transport in Oceania with a focus on domestic shipping.  All current options are fossil fuel powered and increasingly uneconomic and unsustainable. Many routes are marginal or unviable and a vicious cycle of old ships replaced with old ships prevails. Although a central and essential issue of many Pacific communities, the option of pursuing sustainable sea transport is currently invisible within the policy space at all levels. Various renewable energy options are possible and increasingly available. Recent research finds that these have strong potential for providing benefits across multiple wellbeings.

Nuttall documents Low Carbon Sea Transport transitions in the Pacific through a variety of projects that are active, including IMO-delivered projects and public-private partnership projects etc.

The Oceania Centre for Sustainable Transport has prepared this Regional Research and Education Strategy as a means of supporting Pacific Island governments and communities in their efforts to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels and to transition to a low carbon sea transport future. The sea transport issues facing Oceania, especially at the domestic level, have always presented a particularly difficult issue for PICs to find long-term, sustainable, and cost-viable solutions for, even in periods of relatively low energy costs. The unique characteristics of Pacific shipping (long routes, minute economies, imbalance in inward and outward loadings, financing barriers, high risk, high infrastructural costs, etc) present a greater challenge than for many other countries and regions. Imported fuel prices and the demand for global emissions reduction will continue to rise in the long-term.

Adapting to the crises of global warming and climate change and reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels are the highest priorities repeatedly identified by Pacific Island leaders. While progress is being made on a number of fronts, sustainable transport, based on minimizing the use of fossil fuels, is currently the ‘missing link’. The University of the South Pacific (USP) and the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) have combined forces to establish the Oceania Centre for Sustainable Transport (OCST) as a catalyst for applied research in this critical field and importantly to develop practical solutions for the future.

According to International Maritime Organization, emissions coming from global shipping are expected to increase 50% to 250% by the year 2050. This concern led to the introduction of various regulations that aims to encourage ship owners and builders to explore innovative renewable technologies. The main focus of this article is on wind-assisted ship propulsion technologies, as a complement to ship propulsion, such as rigid sail, soft sail, wing sail, kite, and Flettner rotor. These technologies are not widely accepted because ship owners have doubts due to the lack of real-life results and their implementation and effi ciency greatly depends on ship design and purpose. This article shows the progress in the fi eld of wind-assisted ship propulsion in the last 15 years which proved the concept as they have the potential to reduce fuel consumption, thus emissions, by double digits. The conclusion is drawn, from fuel savings percentages, that rotor and soft sails technologies have great potential in the future of the shipping industry.

With the issue of peaking carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality increasingly becoming the forefront of international public opinion, changes in the shipping industry are imminent and destined to cause long-term transformation across the entire industry chain, from ship design to maritime operations. Wind energy as a clean energy source has attracted the increasing attention of experts in the shipping field. This paper summarizes the application and development of wind-aided navigation technology for ships represented by rotors, towing kites, wing sails and soft sails, and analyses the constraints of wind-aided navigation technology. The contribution to emission reduction of typical wind-aided navigation methods such as rotors, towing kites, wing sails and soft sails is summarized. Finally, the
development suggestions of wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) technology are summarized and proposed, which can provide reference for further research and application of this technology.