Environmental performance is becoming a strategic priority for Caribbean ports, but measuring progress consistently across the region has remained a challenge. That is the objective behind CariPorts II, a regional initiative presented in the latest issue of Caribbean Maritime, the official journal of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA).
Officially launched on 17 October 2025, the project seeks to deploy the first environmental label designed specifically for Caribbean ports, providing participating ports with a common framework to assess performance, strengthen climate resilience and support their environmental transition.
A framework designed around Caribbean realities
CariPorts II is led by Grand Port Maritime de la Guadeloupe (GPMG) in partnership with the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) and receives financial support from the Interreg Caribbean programme. Rather than introducing a generic sustainability certification, the project builds on the experience gained during the first phase of CariPorts, conducted between 2021 and 2024 with seven Caribbean ports. Its objective is to support ports across the region collectively while helping them adapt to climate change through a methodology tailored to their operational and environmental context.
Measuring environmental performance beyond compliance
The environmental label is structured around a broad set of performance indicators reflecting the multiple challenges facing Caribbean ports.
According to the project framework, the assessment covers:
- environmental management of port activities;waste management and treatment;
- greenhouse gas emissions reduction;protection of ecosystems and natural capital;
- prevention of water and soil pollution;
- reduction of underwater noise;
- adaptation of port infrastructure to climate change;
- cooperation and knowledge sharing among Caribbean ports.
Taken together, these dimensions move beyond a compliance-focused approach. The objective is to provide ports with a common methodology for measuring progress while strengthening their own environmental transition strategies.
Building a regional improvement process
One of the distinguishing features of CariPorts II is that it is structured as a collaborative programme rather than a standalone certification exercise.
Its implementation is organised around three complementary components:
- the Pioneer Ports Program;
- the Partners Program;
- the School Program.
This structure reflects the project’s emphasis on capacity building, experience sharing and the gradual deployment of environmental practices across the region.
Representatives from ports in Barbados, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Guadeloupe participated in the international meeting supporting the initiative, illustrating the regional scope of the programme from its early stages.
Pilot ports will test the methodology before regional deployment
The project entered a new operational phase in March 2026, when regional port stakeholders gathered in Santo Domingo to launch the Pilot Ports Program. During the meeting, participating ports took part in the first methodological workshops dedicated to integrating the future environmental label into their operations.
The pilot phase has a practical objective: testing both the assessment tools and the methodology under real operating conditions before extending the framework across the wider Caribbean port network.
According to the publication, the initiative takes place in a region particularly exposed to sea-level rise, stronger hurricanes and coastal erosion, making both climate resilience and environmental performance increasingly important considerations for port development.
Environmental performance as a shared regional objective
Beyond the technical aspects of the label itself, CariPorts II reflects a broader shift in how Caribbean ports are approaching sustainability. Instead of developing isolated environmental initiatives, the project seeks to establish a common regional approach that allows ports to benchmark progress, exchange expertise and advance environmental management using comparable criteria.
The long-term ambition is the creation of a network of Caribbean ports committed to a shared vision of environmental performance and climate resilience. In doing so, CariPorts II positions cooperation—not only individual port initiatives—as a central component of the region’s environmental transition.
