On 1 January this year, the Central Pacific Shipping Commission (CPSC) became operational. Work to achieve this began after the governments of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu signed a regional agreement on international commercial shipping in 2010.
CPSC is an initiative born out of the call of leaders in Pacific small island states to have reliable, affordable and sustainable shipping. SPC provides secretariat services for the commission.
A two-day special meeting, comprising of shipping companies currently servicing members of the CPSC, was held at Nadi, Fiji last week.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the progress towards the Commission’s commitment to ensuring affordable and sustainable shipping services to its people.
The Commission Chairman, Honourable Thomas Heine, the Marshall Islands Minister for Transportation and Communication welcomed the role of shipping companies servicing their region in realizing the Commission’s development aspiration for their respective countries.
To effectively monitor and evaluate the services of the Commission and to better coordinate the broader maritime transport sector, the Commission agreed to set up a national shipping council in each member state.
This council will play a key role in the monitoring the progress of the Commission’s work plan. It is intended that the council will comprise representatives of relevant government agencies, port operators and shipping companies.
The shipping companies that currently provide services to Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu are Matson, Neptune Pacific Line, Pacific Direct Line and Swire.
