The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will open its seventh Regional Presence Office (RPO) in Suva, Fiji, to serve countries and territories in the Pacific Islands region. 

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez and the Minister for Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport of the Republic of Fiji, Honourable Ro Filipe Tuisawau, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the IMO Headquarters in London on March 18, confirming the arrangement.

In the announcement, the IMO said the Regional Presence Office will support the maritime needs and priorities of countries in the Pacific Islands region, aligning IMO actions with national and regional development policies while providing advice on key maritime issues such as training, safety and security, legislation and marine environment.

The Office will also facilitate active field-level engagement in the delivery of IMO's technical cooperation framework. 

“The IMO Pacific Regional Presence Office provides an opportunity to address critical issues, including the challenge of providing an efficient inter-island shipping service, to ensure the safety of our Pacific people in inter-island shipping. As host of this regional office, Pacific Member States will be assisted in addressing global standards for ships and compliance issues related to energy efficiency, safety equipment and maintenance of safety systems according to IMO standards,” said Tuisawau on behalf of the Fijian Government.

Dominguez, for his part, said the new office will enhance the global presence of the IMO as well as its ability to work in step with the Pacific region and Member States.

The new office in Suva will be IMO's seventh Regional Presence Office, to be headed by a Regional Coordinator.

The IMO said it would complement existing offices in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire for West and Central Africa (Francophone); Accra, Ghana for West and Central Africa (Anglophone); Nairobi, Kenya for Eastern and Southern Africa; Manila, the Philippines for East Asia; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean; and Alexandria, Egypt for the Middle East and North Africa.

There are 14 IMO Member States in the Pacific Islands region, including Australia and New Zealand.