IMO-backed Caribbean draft roadmap puts digital ports and clean-fuel readiness on one implementation track

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported on 4 November 2026 that Caribbean maritime administrations and industry stakeholders had developed a draft Caribbean Regional Roadmap for Maritime Decarbonization and a Just Transition for 2027–2035. The work was undertaken at a workshop in Georgetown, Guyana, on 28–29 October, involving representatives of maritime administrations, CARICOM, the Caribbean Shipping Association, financial institutions and universities.

**Verified facts.** According to the IMO, the draft roadmap identifies five strategic pillars. One combines energy-efficient shipping, green ports and digitalization, including improvements in ship and port energy efficiency, emissions-data collection and access to clean electricity. A second addresses sustainable marine fuels, bunkering infrastructure and possible green-shipping-corridor opportunities. Other pillars cover governance, investment and capacity development. The workshop also produced a draft Implementation Action Matrix intended to translate priorities into actions, timelines, milestones, indicators, prospective partners and financing requirements.

The IMO states that the documents will be consolidated and circulated to Member States for national consultation, with feedback expected by 20 December 2026. Consideration through the regional Directors and Heads of Maritime Administrations process is proposed for January 2027, followed by possible engagement through CARICOM mechanisms. The roadmap may inform a submission to the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee in June 2027.

**Status and limits.** This is not a binding regional regulation, a confirmed fuel-supply project or an operational green corridor. The published IMO account does not establish funding commitments, individual port implementation dates, fuel specifications, data standards or mandatory reporting requirements. No second independent source was consulted during this review to corroborate the workshop outcomes or the expected consultation timetable.

**Analysis — why this matters.** For operators, charterers, cargo interests and insurers trading with Caribbean ports, the practical significance is the effort to connect decarbonization with port-call efficiency and information quality rather than treating alternative fuels as a standalone issue. If carried forward by participating states, the action matrix could create earlier demand for comparable emissions data, shore-power planning, digital port-call processes and documented fuel-chain controls. However, commercial or operational decisions should not assume harmonized requirements until national consultations, regional governance steps and any subsequent project commitments are completed. Parties should distinguish announced regional planning from enforceable port requirements and verify any local changes directly with the relevant authority or terminal.