St. John’s, Antigua – The Caribbean’s ports are preparing for a major shift toward clean energy, but small island nations face an uneven playing field in the global race to reach net-zero emissions.
At a time when European countries are charging environmental taxes on exports through mechanisms like the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for shipping, the question for Darwin Telemaque, Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) is simple: Why can’t small islands do the same?
Telemaque, who also serves as Antigua and Barbuda’s Port Manager, has unveiled what he calls “A Joint Development Pathway” a new framework for partnership between Caribbean ports and global cruise lines aimed at achieving net zero without sinking regional economies.
Telemaque says the plan focuses on three things: shared infrastructure, shared data, and shared commitment.
After presenting the plan at the Carnival Cruise Line’s headquarters in Miami, Telemaque said cruise executives were “excited and motivated to evolve”. He explained that the IMO Net Zero Framework creates significant challenges for both ports and ship owners. The costs are uncertain, and the fuel technology we need doesn’t yet exist. So PMAC is proposing the Joint Development Pathway to tackle those challenges together. “The cruise ships are particularly vulnerable as they attempt to pivot from fossil fuel to newer cleaner options.”
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved its first-ever global carbon pricing system in April 2025 – a Well-to-Wake approach that accounts for emissions from fuel production all the way to use. It’s a landmark move for the planet, but one that risks leaving small economies like those in the Caribbean behind.
What the IMO Vote Was About
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations’ regulatory body for shipping. In 2025, it attempted to pass a vote to approve stricter global rules for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, including:
- Mandatory carbon pricing for shipping
- Stricter Well-to-Wake accounting, which measures emissions from fuel production through final use
- Rules to push fleets toward zero-carbon fuels
The goal was to accelerate the shipping industry’s move to net-zero emissions, particularly for large vessels like cruise ships, container ships, and oil tankers. A decision was made at 2nd Extraordinary Session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, held 14–17 October 2025 to delay the vote on the Net-Zero Framework until autumn 2026.
Why the Vote Failed
The vote did not reach the required consensus. Key reasons:
- High costs for compliance – Many countries, especially those with major shipping fleets, worried about economic impact.
- Technology gaps – There aren’t enough commercially available clean fuels or alternative propulsion systems for ships. Some countries didn’t want to force fleets into untested and expensive options.
- Equity concerns – Small island states and developing nations argued that the regulations could disproportionately penalize ports and countries that lack the resources to upgrade fleets or port infrastructure quickly.
Under the proposed IMO standards, cruise lines could face steep carbon taxes if they fail to meet stricter emission targets but the cost of compliance could also run into the millions. Telemaque calls it a “regulatory tsunami,” but also an opportunity.
“We’re not asking for a share of carbon tax revenue,” he said. “We are offering a commercially superior alternative infrastructure that keeps that money on your balance sheet, not Europe’s.”
The plan would be backed by the 22-member PMAC network and lays out a three-tier pathway for cruise operators from using blended biofuels in the short term to investing in green hydrogen and e-methanol over time. Each step earns “Green Port” rewards while lowering emissions and avoiding the hefty EU carbon penalties.
The InGRED Model
For Caribbean ports like Antigua’s, this shift isn’t theoretical. Ships are already asking for shore power, LNG bunkering, waste-to-energy facilities, and biofuel options. The region’s ports, however, need massive investment to provide them.
That’s where InGRED – the Inclusive GreenPort Resilience Infrastructure & Decarbonization Programme – comes in. The multi-billion-dollar initiative proposes to transform traditional ports into “Energy Hubs,” capable of powering ships with renewable energy, recycling waste, and producing clean fuels like hydrogen.
InGRED will also roll out an AI-powered data system to track emissions, generate carbon credits, and certify “Green Ports”, helping the region monetize compliance instead of being penalized by it.
So, the IMO’s vote failure isn’t necessarily bad for small Caribbean ports and gives them more time to prepare. The delay gives Caribbean ports extra time to build infrastructure (like shore power, LNG bunkering, biofuel access) without immediately facing penalties. It also creates an opportunity to collaborate – PMAC’s Joint Development Pathway can be implemented at a realistic pace, ensuring ports and cruise lines co-invest in solutions rather than reacting to sudden, global mandates.
And while large ports in Europe and North America might have more immediate resources to comply, the delay allows Caribbean ports to avoid being rushed into expensive, high-risk upgrades before costs and technologies are proven. They can also focus on long-term strategy and deploy plans like InGRED without the pressure of an immediate regulatory tsunami.
Telemaque says the goal is to turn climate regulation into a regional advantage and to finally put Caribbean ports in the driver’s seat of a cleaner, fairer maritime economy.
With the IMO’s 2027 deadline fast approaching, PMAC’s plan may offer a lifeline not only for cruise lines navigating costly new rules, but for small islands determined to chart their own green course in an uneven global system.
