Maritime Development Project (ADB-59231-001)

Countries
  • Vanuatu
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Luganville - Island of Espiritu Santo; Malekula Island - Malampa Province
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Borrower
Government of Vanuatu - Ministry of Finance & Economic Management
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Infrastructure
  • Transport
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 50.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ ADB website

Updated in EWS Mar 23, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Nov 17, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the project is expected to (i) reconstruct the existing Simonsen Wharf facility which is located on the sheltered Segond Canal in Luganville on the Island of Espiritu Santo; and (ii) construct new wharf and ramp at the Port Sandwich facility which is located at the south of Malekula Island in Malampa Province. The project will also target the capacity enhancement of MIPU on ports operations and management and green, sustainable, and resilient port development.

ADB, together with development partners, is supporting the development of Vanuatu's maritime sector. It aims at providing safe, reliable, and regular shipping services to urban and rural population in Vanuatu. The wharf infrastructure and shipping services are the backbone to support the economic development and satisfy people's connectivity needs in the dispersed island country. Without proper maintenance, most of the wharf infrastructure has been significantly deteriorated in the past decades, which may induce high risk in travel safety and reliable logistics if the issue is not resolved in time. Vanuatu is also on the Pacific Ring of Fire and very prone to other natural hazards like cyclones, which may be further exaggerated by climate change. It requires climate and disaster resilient wharf infrastructure to be provided. It may also worth exploring the suitable green and sustainable technologies to be applied in wharves in small island countries.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

Environmental Aspects: The project is expected to be category B. Initial environmental examination (IEE) was previously prepared and is being updated.

Involuntary Resettlement: As the proposed works are within the boundary of existing government possessed land, the IR category is most likely C. Due diligence reports needs to be updated.

Indigenous Peoples: It is likely to have limited impacts on Indigenous Peoples in the area.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

The financing amount is $50,000,000, which will be financed on a loan basis by ADB’s Concessional ordinary capital resources lending.


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Implementing Agency: Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities
Contact Person: Henry Worek, Director General
Address: George Pompidou, Nasituan Building, Port Vila
Telephone: +678 33470
Email: hworek@vanuatu.gov.vu

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.

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