Advancing green shipping in the Caribbean

A green shipping conference in Belize City, Belize (10-11 July) has boosted IMO's work to support Caribbean countries in decarbonizing their maritime sector.

The event gathered more than 80 maritime stakeholders from 18 countries and territories in the Caribbean region to focus on implementing the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of Geenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships (2023 IMO GHG Strategy).

Participants discussed challenges and opportunities surrounding decarbonization of the maritime transport sector for Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), climate change impacts on the maritime sector, and potential mitigation measures.

Key points included:

• How to develop and implement regulatory frameworks that support GHG reduction in maritime operations.

• Impacts of IMO GHG reduction measures on the Caribbean and special needs of the maritime sector in the region.

• Alternative fuels and energy-efficient technologies.

• National Action Plans (NAPs) tailored for the Caribbean region.

• Importance of IMO's maritime training institutes - the World Maritime University (WMU) and the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) - and other educational institutions.

• Regional cooperation between the maritime, port, climate, and environmental sectors to support resilient port infrastructure, improve port efficiency and foster other development opportunities.

Participants shared case studies and success stories from their respective countries and took advantage of networking opportunities with regional experts and stakeholders. They heard a presentation by the Belize national chapter of the IMO-established Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC).

The event concluded with an exchange of views on how Caribbean SIDS could participate in the energy transition in international shipping. Discussions covered how to create an enabling environment for the production and bunkering of zero or near-zero GHG emission fuels, mainstreaming IMO regulations into national legislation, and narrowing technology and infrastructure gaps.

The importance of regional collaboration, the necessity of a just and equitable transition, and the need for continued capacity-building and technological cooperation to ensure the successful decarbonization of the maritime transport sector in the Caribbean were all underscored.

The conference was organized by IMO, through its Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP); the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistic and E-Governance of Belize; and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In the margins the conference, a one-day national workshop (12 July) was held to support Belize with the continuing development of its NAP through the GreenVoyage2050 project. Participants discussed the vision and possible actions to be included in the NAPs and presented the initial rapid assessment results of the sector to all participating stakeholders.

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