Kiribati
Edited by
Moarieta Ientaake 1999072
WMU JAPAN SASAKAWA FELLOWS FORUM JULY 23-25, 2001
KIRIBATI COUNTRY REPORT
INTRODUCTION
In this country report, the following areas will be briefly discussed:
1. Country profile: Geography, population and economic growth
2. Transportation Sector
3. Development progress in the maritime sector
The above topics will be discussed in some detail in the subsequent sections.
1. Country Profile
Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Where on Earth is Millennium Island? The answer is in - the Republic of Kiribati as declared in the "record books" as the first country to see the first sunrise in this millennium. So, the following information may be of help to you:
* There are 33 islands with a total land area of 811 square Kilometres and over 3.1 million square kilometre of ocean (Exclusive Economic Zone). The 33 islands are subdivided for ease of administration into 3 major groupings - Gilbert group, Line group and Phoenix group. The Millennium Island is in the Phoenix group. Do not hesitate to contact me if you are planning to visit the Millennium Island or if you have plans to invest in Kiribati, you are most welcomed any time.
* Kiribati has a total population of 80,000 based on 2000 estimates and estimated population growth rate of 2.5% which means that the population could double in the year 2028.
* The real GDP growth rate is estimated at 5%. The economic growth rate ranges from +1% to -1%because of the scarce resources together with isolation of Kiribati from the main world markets. Because of Kiribati isolation from the outside world the freight rates is too high which contributed to high cost of goods. Therefore, development of the transportation sector especially in the maritime sector is important in closing up the wide gap between Kiribati and the outside world and in reducing the cost of goods and services in the country.
2. Transportation Sector
The transportation sector in Kiribati can be divided into the following sub-sectors:
* Air transportation (Aviation) sub-sector: No detail discussion
* Land transportation sub-sector: No detail discussion
* Sea transportation (Maritime) sub-sector: Detail discussion or main focus of the country report.
The Ministry of Information, Communications & Transport (MICT) is the government body responsible for implementation and regulatory roles and functions for the Sea (Maritime) transportation and Air transportation sub-sectors.
The Aviation Division under MICT is responsible for civil aviation administration and regulatory function as specified under the legal and political framework. There are a lot of international travel agencies working in the country for international and domestic flights. Air Nauru is the main Airline operating between Kiribati and the international community, however, in cases where Air Nauru faces technical failures in operating the sector, other international airlines could be chartered such as Air Pacific in case of Air Nauru's prolonged grounding. Fiji islands is the international link between Kiribati and the outside world.
The land transportation subsector is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works & Energy together with the respective councils in the country.
The Marine Division under MICT is responsible for maritime administration and regulatory functions in accordance with the legal and political framework. Vessels plying to and from Kiribati include general cargo ships, container vessels, cruise or passenger vessels, foreign fishing vessels and bunker (fuel) vessels.
3. Development Progress in the Maritime sub-sector
In this section, I will briefly discuss the following developments:
* Status of STCW and other efforts
* Inauguration and establishment of Kiribati Ports Authority (KPA)
For your information, I am glad to say that based on the outcome of my conversation with the Director of Marine, the Head of Marine Division under MICT, he was indeed happy to say that Kiribati is now listed under IMO's STCW-White list. What it means is that our seafarers are now recognised internationally as qualified and competent seamen. However, the Director of Marine and I have yet to seek the support and understanding of the Permanent Secretary and the Honorable Minister concerning the prospects of securing Kiribati membership on IMO. The benefits to be realised, by becoming one of IMO member countries, has not been clear and convincing enough to the decision-makers. It is my sincere hope and believe that the future decision makers would be able to see the rational and benefits of becoming one of the member countries of IMO. Kiribati would be adversely affected by globalisation if it keeps itself aloft and isolated from international organisations such as IMO. It is my sincere hope that my country would realise the saying " United we stand divided we fall" as one of the keys to economic development.
The second significant maritime development progress that is worth mentioning is the inauguration and establishment of the first Port authority in the country known as the "Kiribati Ports Authority (KPA)".
Early 2000 was an historic and memorable occasion when the Government of Japan handed over the completed project, worth over AU$60 million, known as the Betio Port Development Project, to Kiribati government which also marked the inauguration and establishment of the first Kiribati Port Authority in Kiribati.
The Kiribati Ports Authority (KPA) Act 1990 was not implemented due to, inter alia, lack of qualified port management locals, however, early 2000 KPA came into being.
Prior to early 2000, Kiribati Shipping Services Ltd (KSSL) is the only government owned shipping company that was delegated with the responsibility for the administration and management of both its own shipping services and also that of the Port Division. There were a lot of inefficiencies experienced with such structure which prompted the government to separate the port division from the shipping division. The separation of the Port division, which is now established as KPA, was effective early 2000.
Because KPA is over 1 year old baby, there are a lot of challenging critical issues facing KPA such as follows:
* Recruitment and selection of key personnels in line with KPA Act 1990
* Development constraints
My presentation will cover the above issues.
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
