From Tolls to Security: Bridging the Blue Security Gap in PNG’s Foreign Policy

 By Bernard Yegiora

The debate on charging transit fees through the Jomard Passage should no longer be framed as a narrow question of revenue. It is, fundamentally, a question of how PNG finances and operationalises maritime security. The opportunity before the country is not simply to monetise a strategic waterway, but to convert that revenue into a sustained security capability. This is precisely where the concept of Blue Security—developed in my research—becomes directly relevant.

The Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 provides a timely and necessary recognition of the country’s evolving security environment. It acknowledges the importance of maritime security, identifies threats such as illegal fishing and transnational crime, and calls for strengthened border and maritime governance. It also frames PNG as a steward of vast oceanic resources and aligns itself with broader regional narratives such as the Blue Pacific. Yet, despite this recognition, the policy stops short of articulating a coherent and integrated Blue Security framework.

Excerpt from the Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 highlighting the centrality of the ocean to national identity, economy, and food security, while acknowledging rising maritime security concerns driven by illegal fishing, environmental degradation, and increasing geopolitical competition in the region.

This is the central weakness. The White Paper treats maritime security, environmental protection, and economic development as parallel concerns rather than interconnected components of a single strategic system. More importantly, it does not provide a clear financing mechanism to support maritime security over the long term. As a result, there remains a gap between policy ambition and operational capability.

Blue Security was developed precisely to address this gap. It advances a whole-of-government approach that integrates maritime governance, enforcement, environmental protection, and economic strategy into a unified framework. It recognises that PNG’s maritime domain—spanning millions of square kilometres—is both a source of vulnerability and opportunity. Securing this space requires not only policy alignment but also sustained investment, institutional coordination, and strategic intent.

This is where the Jomard Passage becomes critical. If PNG proceeds to introduce a structured toll regime for vessels transiting the Jomard Passage, it creates something the country has historically lacked: a dedicated and internally generated funding stream for maritime security. This shifts the conversation from dependence on external partners toward self-financed capability development.

The policy logic is straightforward. A defined portion of transit fees should be ring-fenced under a national Blue Security framework and directed toward three core priorities. First, maritime domain awareness—investing in vessel monitoring systems, surveillance infrastructure, and real-time data integration. Second, enforcement capability—strengthening patrol assets, inter-agency coordination, and response mechanisms to combat illegal fishing, smuggling, and other transnational threats. Third, environmental protection—ensuring that PNG can respond effectively to pollution incidents, maritime accidents, and ecological risks associated with increased shipping activity.

This approach transforms the role of the Jomard Passage. It is no longer merely a transit route; it becomes a strategic node within a broader national security architecture. Maritime traffic is converted into financial resources, and those resources are reinvested into securing the very domain from which they are generated. The result is a self-reinforcing system where economic activity directly underpins national security outcomes.

Importantly, this model also strengthens PNG’s regional and international positioning. Rather than being seen as disrupting the maritime order, PNG can frame its approach as contributing to safer, more regulated, and more sustainable sea lanes. By linking toll revenues to security and environmental outcomes, the country aligns itself with regional priorities under the Blue Pacific narrative while advancing its own national interests.

However, implementation will require discipline. A dedicated maritime security fund must be established, supported by clear governance structures, transparency mechanisms, and institutional accountability. Without this, the policy risks being reduced to a short-term revenue exercise with limited strategic impact. The credibility of the entire framework depends on ensuring that funds are used to deliver tangible improvements in maritime security.

The broader implication is clear. The Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 identifies the importance of maritime security but does not provide the means to fully realise it. The proposed toll regime for the Jomard Passage, when embedded within a Blue Security framework, offers a practical solution. It bridges the gap between recognition and implementation, between policy intent and operational capability.

PNG now faces a strategic choice. It can continue to treat its maritime domain as a passive space through which global traffic flows, or it can actively leverage that space to build national capability. The Jomard Passage provides the mechanism. Blue Security provides the framework. The task ahead is to align the two and move decisively from concept to execution.