Pacific Island shipping — the lifeline that sustains remote Fiji and other island economies — is under growing pressure from ageing vessels, soaring fuel costs and weak investment, experts warned on 10 April, urging a rapid shift toward wind-assisted and other low-carbon propulsion to avert supply crises. Natasha Chan, assistant legal researcher at the Micronesian Centre for Sustainable Transport, said at a regional discussion in Majuro that delayed ships do more than inconvenience islanders — they leave store shelves bare, cut fuel supplies and isolate communities.
“The Pacific’s geography compounds the problem,” Chan said. “Island nations span millions of square miles, with routes often stretching hundreds of miles between small, low-income communities. Our domestic shipping services are often inadequate and substandard, except on the most profitable routes.” She told delegates the sector remains trapped in a cycle of little investment and limited insurance capacity that forces operators to rely on donated, end-of-life or poorly maintained vessels.
Chan highlighted existing technological options that could deliver substantial near-term fuel savings. Research cited at the forum indicates fuel reductions of at least 40 percent are achievable today if mature technologies are applied in ways tailored to Pacific conditions. Wind-assisted propulsion — using modern sails or rotor systems to cut fuel use — was singled out as one of the most practical immediate solutions. Earlier trials during the 1980s fuel crisis produced roughly 30 percent savings; advances in materials and design could improve those returns now.
But Chan warned that global green shipping innovations — hydrogen-powered ships, for example — are not always applicable in island contexts, where vessel sizes, route lengths and port infrastructure differ sharply from major markets. “It is not a case of simply taking international market leaders and scaling them down,” she said, urging targeted research and development at the Pacific scale as well as development and climate finance that recognises the region’s unique needs.
The call for action comes as Pacific governments step up maritime and climate initiatives. Fiji has been a regional focal point for maritime governance reform since the International Maritime Organization opened a Regional Presence Office in Suva in 2025, and the government has pursued tighter rules on derelict vessels and pre-entry shipwreck insurance to protect coastal waters. This month’s discussion adds transport decarbonisation — specifically the operational and technology choices that keep supply lines running affordably and reliably — to an expanding policy agenda that Fiji’s Climate Change Minister also signalled as a priority when setting new measures to accelerate Pacific climate action.
Experts at the Majuro forum urged a multi-pronged approach: immediate uptake of proven wind-assist technologies on domestic and inter-island fleets, strengthened maintenance and crewing systems, and new financing instruments that reduce insurance and investment barriers for local operators. Without those changes, island nations risk deeper supply disruptions as global fuel volatility continues and ageing fleets decline, they said — a risk that carries direct consequences for food security, health services and economic resilience across Fiji and the wider Pacific.
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