Conventional shipping is increasingly unable to address the social and economic needs of remote and underprivileged coastal and island communities. Barriers include rising fuel costs affecting the viability of on-water activities, which are compounded by the challenges presented by a lack of deepwater ports and related infrastructure that prevent docking by larger more fuel-efficient vessels. The environmental externalities of shipping-related fossil-fuel consumption, which harbour both local pollution and anthropogenic climate change impacts, adversely affect these communities. Amid limited research on strategies to address the challenges presented by conventional shipping methods to small island developing States (SIDS), this paper proposes the adoption of policy initiatives for the adoption of small, modern non-fuel vessels that could assist these important yet underserved niches. One of several initiatives developing renewable-energy based shipping solutions is the Greenheart Project, an international non-profit organization in the process of developing an open-source hybrid solar-sail cargo vessel conforming to the conditions faced in coastal and island communities. This paper discusses the socio-economic and environmental challenges presented by conventional shipping with reference to SIDS and the potential of non-fuel shipping. Policy proposals to facilitate the beneficial adoption of such vessels in developing communities will also be offered.