CANBERRA: The Pacific Maritime Transport Alliance (PMTA) kicks off its 40th annual conference today in Port Moresby under the theme “To improve Ports Productivity and Market Challenges”.
With technical support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), members of PMTA and ports authority delegates from around the Pacific are meeting to discuss a number of items, including infrastructure and equipment, safety and security, emerging environmental concerns and training updates from the Pacific Maritime Association.
Key outcomes from this meeting will be the election of a new PMTA executive committee to serve for the next three years and agreed solutions to the urgent need for port dredging, for which it is hoped that this ongoing collective effort will conclude with a cost sharing approach that will greatly assist countries that need to fast track this exercise. Maritime transport contributes as much as 8% of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions.
The conference will look to discuss concerns around climate change which will also include the presentation of a paper on the proposed green ports initiative intended to support Pacific Island countries and territories to develop and implement plans aimed at increasing the efficiency and sustainability of port operations which incorporate various energy and environmental concerns.
In attendance this week are country representatives and port stakeholders from Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and associate PTMA members of New Zealand and Australia. The Pacific Maritime Association (PacMA) will also be represented. Country representatives will have an opportunity to present their in-country port situation and explore joint approaches to address their challenges with others present.
SPC’s Transport Programme provides a secretariat service to the PMTA, for the promotion of regional cooperation, friendship and understanding between member ports and port users through mutual alliances, exchange of knowledge and the dissemination of information useful to port owners, operators and users of port services.
SPC also works to support the Alliance in facilitating internal auditor training, technical assistance packages on carbon footprint assessments (climate proofing) and environmental issues, benchmarking and financial policy and procedure customization.
Additionally, SPC is involved in the promotion of measures to increase the efficiency, safety and harmonious development of ports in the Pacific region. The conference, which is being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, concludes on 17 September.
