What IMO's New Carib-SMART-Law Initiative Means for Saint Lucia's Maritime Sector
On June 23rd, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched Carib-SMART-Law, a new program designed to tackle a challenge that many in the maritime industry know well: Caribbean maritime legislation has not kept pace with the rapidly evolving sector.
The launch took place in Georgetown, Guyana, during the IMO’s Fifth Regional Meeting of Directors and Heads of Maritime Administrations. The program is supported by funding from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over a two-year period.
The significance to Saint Lucia is immediate. We are one of thirteen participating states, alongside Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. This is not a program we need to lobby to join; we are already at the table.
Why does this matter? Guyana’s experience is instructive. According to Hon. Deodat Indar, Guyana’s Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, the country’s maritime sector has experienced rapid growth, largely due to offshore oil activities, with vessel movements now exceeding 3,000 per day. Regulatory frameworks built for a slower, smaller shipping environment simply were not designed to handle that level of activity, and Guyana is not alone in feeling that strain. Much of the Caribbean’s maritime legislation was written decades ago for a very different regional shipping landscape than the one we operate in today.
Carib-SMART-Law seeks to close that gap. Over the next two years, participating states will receive support to strengthen legislative drafting capacity, improve policy alignment, and build the institutional capability needed to ratify, transpose, implement, and enforce IMO instruments, rather than merely signing them in principle.
For Saint Lucia, that could mean real support in modernizing our maritime legal framework, sharpening port State control, and strengthening the daily compliance measures of our flag administration.
There is also a clear commercial benefit that shipowners and insurers already instinctively understand. A region where maritime law is harmonized, current, and properly enforced is one where business becomes easier and more cost-effective. Gaps in legislation or enforcement create friction, which can lead to higher insurance premiums, less attractive flagging decisions, or delays in cargo movement. Closing those gaps benefits everyone in this sector, from port authorities to individual vessel operators.
For the Chamber, our role now is to stay engaged rather than allow this initiative to become just another item ticked off a regional to-do list. We will closely monitor how Saint Lucia’s maritime administration embraces its role in the program, and we intend to ensure our members understand what is changing and why it matters to them directly. Where opportunities exist for the Chamber to support this effort, through consultation, feedback on draft legislation, or simply keeping our members informed as developments occur, we plan to play a constructive role.
Two years is not a long time in terms of maritime regulation, but it is sufficient to make real progress if the participating states remain committed. Saint Lucia already has a seat at the table. The next question is how effectively we use it.