CSA president urges maritime decarbonisation during Peace Boat’s historic visit to Montego Bay
Published:Tuesday | July 22, 2025 | 12:08 AM
THE PRESIDENT of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), William Brown, has called for urgent regional and international collaboration to decarbonise the maritime industry, declaring the effort not only an environmental necessity but “an existential imperative” for small island nations like those in the Caribbean.
His remarks were delivered aboard the MV Pacific World, flagship of the global Peace Boat initiative, which made its first-ever visit to Montego Bay from July 2 to 5 as part of its 120th Global Voyage. The CSA president addressed stakeholders during the Blue Innovation Forum, a key event held on July 5 in partnership with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation.
“Shipping moves more than 80 per cent of global trade and carries over 35 million cruise passengers each year. But it also accounts for nearly three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that could rise to 10 per cent by 2050 if left unchecked, especially with the introduction of larger, more powerful vessels,” Brown stated. “In the face of rising seas, intensifying storms, and coastal erosion, decarbonisation is not a choice, it’s a necessity. That’s why it remains at the very top of the CSA’s strategic agenda.”
The forum, themed, ‘Time for Peace: For Future Generations’, united policymakers, youth leaders, environmental advocates, and private sector partners to explore sustainable and inclusive pathways for ocean conservation and climate resilience.
Brown outlined the CSA’s ongoing initiatives to transform the shipping landscape through port electrification, energy efficiency, clean fuel adoption, and investments in renewable infrastructure. He highlighted the association’s memorandum of understanding with the Inter-American Development Bank, which has already yielded practical research on logistics reform and digital innovation.
“But studies alone won’t get us to net zero,” Brown stressed. “We are implementing these findings, forging public-private partnerships, and aligning our actions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
Participants in Peace Boat’s Youth for the SDGs programme, officially recognised by the UN Decade of Ocean Science, played a visible role in the forum, which also featured leading voices from conservation and technology sectors.
Dr. Camilo Trench of The University of the West Indies, NEPA’s Monique Curtis, and Forestry Department CEO Ainsley Henry led a well-received panel on Mangrove Conservation, while Amy Heemsoth of the Living Oceans Foundation spotlighted the J.A.M.I.N. project, which engages Jamaican students in mangrove restoration.
Other speakers included marine biologist Sweelan Renaud of EcoSeas Caribbean, Jamaica Environment Trust CEO Dr Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, and Robert Wright of Worth Holdings, who presented Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) as a viable, energy-saving innovation for Caribbean buildings.
Brown praised the presence of youth delegates as a signal of hope. “You are not just the leaders of tomorrow, you are the conscience of today,” he told them. “Your vision is already shaping the future of our oceans.”
Peace Boat, a Japan-based non-profit and long-time UN partner, uses its voyages to promote peace, education, and environmental action. Its programmes, including fieldwork in coral reef restoration and citizen science, are designed to build international solidarity and sustainable change.
As the Pacific World departed Montego Bay, it left behind more than a symbolic gesture. The three-day port call served as a powerful reminder that ocean sustainability, innovation, and youth leadership are critical pillars for the future of small island nations and that the maritime sector must be front and centre in that transformation.