Pacific Maritime Safety Programme
About the Pacific Maritime Safety Programme
The overall goal of the PMSP is Pacific maritime transport that is safe, environmentally friendly and meets international requirements.
The PMSP is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) programme, funded through the International Development Cooperation programme. It is delivered by Maritime NZ.
MFAT established the programme in 2011, initially focused on the Cook Islands, Kiribati, and Tonga. The programme has grown and entered its fourth phase of funding in July 2022, which will support the delivery of activities until June 2026.
Countries currently involved in the programme are the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.
The programme was established after a series of serious maritime accidents in the Pacific, starting in 2009, some of which had tragic consequences. These included passenger ferry sinkings in Kiribati and Tonga, with significant loss of life, and the grounding of a cargo ship in Samoa. More recently, the sinking of the Butiraoi in Kiribati in 2018, with significant loss of life, highlights the ongoing risk in the region.
Our work with the PMSP
Maritime NZ works in partnership with MFAT to deliver the programme. We draw on expertise from across Maritime NZ and other government and non-government organisations as needed.
Through the PMSP, we work across five key areas:
- community education and awareness, developing and helping deliver educational programmes for artisanal fishers, communities, and schools to raise awareness and promote the use of safety equipment
- regulatory capacity, helping countries to develop regulations and the skilled personnel they need to oversee them
- support for education and training of seafarers, improving access to training for maritime personnel
- domestic vessel safety, working with authorities responsible for standards for their domestic fleets and supporting improvements to vessel seaworthiness
- search and rescue and oil pollution response, working with countries to develop their search and rescue and marine pollution readiness and response capabilities, making sure plans are in place and providing access to equipment and training.
The programme is flexible. We work with local authorities to tailor PMSP support to their needs and priorities.
PMSP work in the Pacific
Our oceans: our future
Some of the PMSP’s work is highlighted in a four-minute video about Maritime NZ. The video explains our role in the maritime sector, with a focus on our leadership role in the Pacific region, rescue co-ordination in Antarctica and across the Pacific, and our contribution to international work on the Polar Code, designed to reduce safety, environmental, and rescue risks in Antarctica.
The video includes the story of one of the PMSP’s maritime safety champions, Des Hipa from Niue. These champions help promote maritime safety in their communities and play a key role in the Pacific countries we work with.
Our oceans: Our future
Examples of PMSP projects
Examples of work the PMSP has supported include:
- significant legislative review projects in Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tokelau and the development of a new Maritime Safety Act for Niue
- providing search and rescue boats, and training and maintenance support, for Kiribati, Niue, and Tokelau
- providing search and rescue training, delivered by Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), for all countries in the programme, with an emphasis on developing planning and local capacity
- Providing oil spill response training, delivered by Maritime NZ’s Maritime Response personnel and supporting the development of national plans and provision of oil spill response equipment
- the design and delivery of innovative community awareness and maritime safety education programmes in Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga
- the design, installation and ongoing implementation of a major extension to Niue’s VHF radio network
- working with Pacific maritime authorities in vessel inspections, and survey and audit of their domestic fleets
