Outer Island Transport Tender

Project Status ApprovedSource of Funding Amount Grant outer island transport infrastructure investment projectOrdinary capital resources US 12.00 million The project will improve the safety of inter-island navigation and provide resilient outer island access infrastructure ship-to-shore transfer and land transport for the selected outer islands in gilbert islands chain of kiribati namely abaiang nonouti beru and tabiteuea south and will strengthen capacity of the implementing agencies. Kiribati is one of the most remote and geographically dispersed countries in the world. It is composed of 33 small islands spread across 3. 5 million square kilometers of ocean. Approximately 55 of kiribatis total population of 115847 live on the main island of tarawa which includes the capital south tarawa and the remaining inhabitants are spread across the outer islands. These are low-lying atolls which are highly exposed to the effects of climate change including sea-level rise and increased intensity of rainfall and wind from tropical cyclones. Access to goods and services on the outer islands is limited and large numbers of inhabitants are moving to the more urban capital which provides employment opportunities access to higher education and specialized social services. A safe and resilient transport infrastructure is essential for connecting kiribatis population to economic opportunities and social services particularly for those living on the outer islands. It is also a key to achieving the objective of the government of kiribati to stem-the-tide of migration from outer islands. This requires substantive improvements to i safety of inter-island maritime navigation ii resilience of outer island access infrastructure and iii institutional capacity of key government agencies namely the ministry of information communication transport and tourism development micttd and the ministry of infrastructure and sustainable energy mise. The safety of inter-island maritime navigation is a major concern in kiribati due to the lack of nautical charts which are the most fundamental tools to ensure safe navigation and prevent potential vessel groundings that can result in fatality as well as pollution. The government does not have the necessary resources or expertise to carry out hydrographic surveys which are required to produce nautical charts. The hydrographic surveys also provide essential information to plan and develop maritime infrastructure such as configuration of sea floor water depths and locations of aids to navigation. This is a binding constraint to the development of outer islands. The outer island access infrastructure is not adequate and resilient in several key areas. The aids to navigation atons which are markers used to guide vessels need replacement and many are completely missing. The markers currently in place were not designed durably to withstand the conditions. The outer islands lack ship-shore berthi