Press Releases

Cartagena, Colombia (July 11th 2014) - The Association of Caribbean States in collaboration with the ‘Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena’ hosted the Seminar on Port and Maritime Strategies in the Greater Caribbean in Cartagena, Colombia on July 11th, 2014. The presentation of the Draft Final Report by the Consultant marked the culmination of the Study on Port and Maritime Strategies in the Greater Caribbean.

A project of the Directorate for Transport and Disaster Risk Reduction of the ACS, the Study was funded by the Agence Française de Développement and conducted by the firm Maritime & Transport Business Solutions B.V. of the Netherlands.

The main objective of the Study was to collect information and assess the development of maritime container traffic in the Greater Caribbean. The analysis covered transhipment as well as an examination of existing or projected development of port infrastructure to handle container traffic whilst taking into consideration the imminent expansion of the Panama Canal. The Final Report of the Study is expected in August 2014 and will be disseminated to Member States and port and maritime stakeholders within the Greater Caribbean.

The Seminar was attended by persons in the port and maritime sector from Antigua and Barbuda, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Panama and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

The ACS through the Directorate for Transport and Disaster Risk Reduction will continue to facilitate intra-regional cooperation in the area of port development and shipping in keeping with its mandate “Uniting the Caribbean by Air and Sea”. A presentation of this study will be featured at the XXIII Meeting of the Special Committee on Transport which is scheduled to be held in October 2014 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and will seek to continue this discussion among Member States.