Marshalls continues call for reduced emissions in shipping

Transcript

The Marshall Islands is continuing its call for reduced emissions in the global shipping industry despite a rejection by the International Maritime Organisation of the idea.

The Marshalls Foreign Minister Tony De Brum put forward the idea at a recent IMO meeting only to have it overturned.

But the country is also being criticised for its flagging of oil tankers and oil rigs within its own massive shipping registry which is the third largest in the world.

Our correspondent in Majuro Giff Johnson spoke to Koroi Hawkins about the push to include shipping in the reduced emissions debate.

GIFF JOHNSON: Well you know change is hard and the international climate negotiations have proved this time and again. That it is really difficult to get countries to come to the table. But they have got to be put on the table and this effort by the Marshall's foreign minister at the recent IMO meeting was kind of a first Salvo in trying to get the global shipping industry to address it and I am sure that the Marshalls is going to keep pressing the issue.

KOROI HAWKINS: But there have been some criticisms from organisations like Greenpeace regarding the flagging of oil rigs and also oil carriers in the Marshall Islands ship registry. What have the government been saying if you have put questions to them about this?

GJ: What Greenpeace has done is not so much to really criticise the Marshall Islands but is more to point out that the situation  with oil rigs is that there are a number that are active in drilling in the Arctic region and that this is essentially a new, new oil field. And that if countries are serious about trying to reduce carbon emissions trying to reduce dependence on the fossil fuels then they have got to shutdown and not go into new areas of fossil fuel which is exactly what these oil rigs are doing. And as it happens a couple of the oil rigs are Marshall Islands flagged rigs. Greenpeace is pointing out that this has really been an anomaly given the high profile stance of the Marshall Islands on the Climate issue and the Marshall's has responded by saying well it wouldn't do any good to de-flag these couple of oil rigs because they would just register with a different ship registry and really that the issue is that ship registries globally need to address the oil rig issue. Right now the issue for the Marshall Islands is that its ship registry is a very profitable entity and a heavy percentage of its business is from the fuel tankers and oil rigs.