IMO workshop targets Caribbean domestic ferry safety rules
IMO-led workshop in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, addressed domestic ferry regulation, training and emergency preparedness across the Caribbean.
The story in focus
An IMO-led regional workshop held 28-30 September 2026 in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, brought Caribbean states together to strengthen domestic ferry regulation, training and emergency preparedness, drawing on the IMO Model Legislation on Domestic Ferry Safety and recent regional casualties.
- The workshop ran 28-30 September 2026 in Kingstown, organised with the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Administration.
- Participants reviewed legislation, fleet characteristics, passenger traffic, STCW provisions and domestic ferry classification requirements.
- Discussion referenced September 2026 incidents involving MV JUNE ASTER and MV VIRGO TRANSPORT 8 in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Regulatory review across the region
Representatives from twelve Caribbean states met in Kingstown for a three-day IMO-led workshop organised with the Maritime Administration and national authorities of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Participating countries included Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the host nation.
The agenda covered national ferry safety frameworks, including legislation, fleet characteristics and passenger traffic. Delegates also examined implementation of STCW provisions and requirements for classifying domestic ferries, and discussed using the IMO Model Legislation on Domestic Ferry Safety, adopted as resolution MSC.518(105), to strengthen national regulatory systems. The event was structured to let countries compare national experience and share best practices.
Training and emergency preparedness
Hyrone Johnson, Director of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Administration, said strengthening domestic ferry safety mattered following recent ferry casualties in the region. The workshop also pointed to September 2026 incidents involving MV JUNE ASTER and MV VIRGO TRANSPORT 8 in the Philippines and Indonesia as underscoring the need for well-trained personnel, effective safety procedures and robust emergency preparedness.
Sascha Pristrom, Head of Marine Technology and Goal-Based Standards at IMO, said safe and reliable domestic ferry services are a lifeline for island communities across the Caribbean, and that maritime education and training are essential for regulatory frameworks to keep pace with technological innovation and growing use of alternative fuels in shipping.
Which regulatory tool did the workshop discuss for strengthening national ferry safety systems?
Delegates discussed the IMO Model Legislation on Domestic Ferry Safety, resolution MSC.518(105), as a basis for strengthening national regulatory systems, alongside STCW provisions and domestic ferry classification requirements.
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