Caribbean countries are turning maritime decarbonization into a timetable. At a regional workshop in Georgetown, Guyana on 28–29 October, representatives from maritime administrations, CARICOM, the Caribbean Shipping Association, financial institutions and regional universities produced a draft Caribbean Regional Roadmap for Maritime Decarbonization and a Just Transition (2027–2035).
The draft is meant to give governments, regional bodies, the shipping industry and development partners a shared framework for practical projects, investment and technical cooperation. The workshop also yielded a draft Implementation Action Matrix that converts priorities into actions with proposed timelines, milestones, performance indicators, potential partners and financing needs.
Five strategic pillars were set out: policy, governance and regional cooperation, including national maritime legislation and maritime GHG National Action Plans; energy-efficient shipping, green ports and digitalization, covering ship and port efficiency, emissions data and shore power access; sustainable marine fuels, bunkering and green corridors; financing and project development; and capacity building, safety and a just transition, including maritime education, gender equality, youth opportunities and protection for workers and vulnerable communities.
The work is anchored to the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy while aiming to keep shipping affordable and regional connectivity intact. For shippers moving cargo on or through the Caribbean, there is no immediate change to rates or operations, but once green corridors and alternative fuel bunkering take shape, bunker surcharges and port calls on those segments will follow.
The draft will be consolidated and circulated to member states for national consultation, with feedback due by 20 December 2026. It is expected to go through the regional Directors and Heads of Maritime Administrations (DIHMAR) process in January 2027, then through relevant CARICOM mechanisms, and may inform a submission to the 77th session of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee in June 2027.