Telemaque Calls for “New Maritime Partnership” Between Caribbean Ports and Cruise Lines

Port Manager Darwin Telemaque, who also serves as Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC), has unveiled a bold new framework designed to redefine how cruise lines and Caribbean ports work together in the era of decarbonization and environmental accountability

Delivering his remarks at the just concluded conference in Miami, under the theme “A Joint Development Pathway: A New Framework for Partnership Between Cruise Lines and Caribbean Ports,” Telemaque described a strategic shift from competition to collaboration — a “shared pathway” built on transparency, green infrastructure, and measurable climate progress.

Telemaque said that PMAC, which now represents 22 ports across 21 Caribbean states, must become the central hub for maritime governance and innovation in the region. The goal, he explained, is to foster operational and financial efficiency while improving service delivery for cruise and cargo partners alike.

He emphasized that the maritime landscape has shifted dramatically under new International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations — particularly the 2027 global carbon pricing framework — and urged regional ports to act collectively rather than individually.

“The regulatory tsunami of IMO 2027 and the EU Emissions Trading System is both a challenge and an opportunity,” Telemaque said.

“It’s time for ports and cruise lines to align on a unified decarbonization strategy that turns compliance costs into commercial value.”

A centerpiece of Telemaque’s address was the Inclusive GreenPort Resilience Infrastructure & Decarbonization (InGRED) Programme — a multi-billion-dollar regional platform to transform Caribbean ports from traditional gateways into next-generation energy and data hubs.

Telemaque explained that the initiative is not a “sustainability campaign” but a strategic business platform designed to align environmental necessity with economic opportunity.

Highlighting the importance of accountability, Telemaque presented PMAC’s AI-powered MRV (Measurement, Reporting, Verification) platform — a real-time digital system tracking vessel emissions, energy consumption, and carbon reduction progress.

“This is not a promise; it’s a working system,” he noted. “It transforms PMAC from a traditional association into a strategic, data-driven partner that cruise lines can trust.”

Meanwhile Telemaque said cruise executives responded enthusiastically to discussions on the Joint Development Pathway, describing it as a timely and collaborative approach to the major challenges created by the IMO’s Net Zero Framework.

He told Antigua.news that cruise lines are under pressure to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources, a costly shift made more difficult by the limited availability of viable alternatives.

The proposed framework, he said, aims to help both ports and ship owners jointly navigate this transition by developing essential infrastructure such as shore power systems, new fuel options, and regional logistics networks to support the change.

For Antigua, Telemaque noted that cruise lines have reaffirmed their need for expanded port services, including provisioning, shore power, LNG bunkering, blended biofuels, regular fuel supply, waste removal (with potential for waste-to-energy conversion), and hull-cleaning technology — all critical to meeting the evolving environmental and operational standards of the global cruise industry.