Solomon Islands made a groundbreaking step in acceding to eight (8) conventions and protocols related to marine and air pollution at the occasion of the 82nd session of the Marine Pollution Environment Committee (MEPC 82) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, UK from 30th September to 4th October 2024.
The delegation was led by the Honourable Manasseh Maelanga, Minister for Infrastructure Development and accompanied by his Permanent Secretary Mr Allan Lilia, H.E. Mr. Moses Kouni Mose, Ambassador to the European Union and senior officers and experts from the Solomon Islands Maritime Authority (SIMA).
Minister Maelanga congratulated Mr Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco from Panama on his appointment in January 2024 as the new Secretary-General of the IMO. Minister Maelanga assured him of Solomon Islands support in his leadership of the Organisation in advancing the interests and priorities of members in the maritime sector.
The eight (8) conventions and protocols that Solomon Islands has ratified and deposited with IMO will commit the government to strengthen the maritime legislative framework in the country to prevent marine pollution and to facilitate, internal responses and international cooperation in addressing major oil pollution from ships.
Minister Maelanga presented to IMO Secretary-General the instrument of accession to the 1997 Protocol of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). This protocol introduced a new annex to MARPOL on the prevention of air pollution from ships setting limits on emissions from ship and adopting measures to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In his statement at the meeting, Minister Maelanga re-iterated the devastating impacts of climate change to small island developing states in the Pacific and called on the IMO and its members to urgently agree on measures for the shipping industry to transition into efficient fuel sources and green energy and to reduce GHG emissions. He also supported the proposal by six Pacific Islands Countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) and Seychelles for the imposition of a fuel levy on ships as source of revenue to support in a just and equitable energy transition of shipping and climate change mitigation.
The Minister further stated the transition must serve our vision, ambition and strategy set out in our Plan for a Sustainable Maritime Future developed by SIMA in collaboration with IMO and support of the GreenVoyage2050 project.
Solomon Islands calls on international partners to join efforts in supporting the Pacific Islands region to develop and implement the Pacific One-Maritime Framework (POMF), our collective vision of safe and secure, green, clean and digital shipping and port in the Pacific.
