Action needed to tackle Kingston port climate challenges, experts warn

IN THE face of growing climate threats, Kingston’s port must act decisively to adapt and become a climate-ready hub, capable of withstanding severe weather events while driving sustainable economic growth. Experts at the recent Shipping Association of Jamaica’s Distinguished Lecture outlined critical steps for the port to position itself as a sustainable leader in the region during the panel ‘Creating a Climate-Ready Port of Kingston’.

Wazim Mowla, CEO of The Atlantic Council Caribbean Initiative, stressed the importance of climate change for the Caribbean and Kingston’s critical role. “Climate change does not need an introduction when it comes to the Caribbean. It’s an existential threat to every fabric of society – the economy, and people,” Mowla said, adding, “When you think about how this affects ports and how we want to have a climate ready port, we need to take a step back, understand the challenges ahead, and identify the bottlenecks — whether on the regulatory, financing, or stakeholder engagement sides – to ensure we have a climate-ready port.”

To keep pace with global standards, Manuela Garcia Zuluaga, an environmental consultant at the Port of Antwerp, advised that Kingston’s port upgrade its facilities to accommodate low-carbon fuels. She pointed out that international regulations, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are increasingly focused on cutting emissions.

Zuluaga said, “We’re seeing many new changes in the legislative landscape. I’m thinking globally – the IMO, for example, in 2023 updated its strategy and now it has set very ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. So, what it concretely means for ports, and for the Port of Kingston, is you will have a shift towards more green vessels, low-carbon fuels, but as a port, you also need to be able to accommodate to stay competitive and to stay a front-runner.”

The production of green fuels must be a priority said Philip Julien, CEO of Kenesjay Green Systems. He said the potential of green hydrogen for the Caribbean is an underutilised asset given the region’s access to solar and wind energy. “Jamaica has both a risk and a real opportunity with what the world is asking for when it comes to green fuels,” Julien said, continuing, “Why that’s so important for Jamaica and the Caribbean is that we’re in countries with the feedstock to create these green fuels – you’ve got the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, to create the electricity to zap the water and make hydrogen and oxygen happen.”

Following recent experiences with extreme weather and the need for disaster-proof infrastructure, Captain Jedrzej Mierzewski, CEO of Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited said, “A green port is not only a green port. We are not an island, even if we are on an island. You cannot treat only the green problems and combine it only in a port. We can have the best facility, but if our roads are flooded, like what happened when Beryl was here, we cannot operate”.

Additionally, for Kingston’s port to truly adapt, outdated regulatory frameworks must be revised, said Rodrigo Olea, COO of Kingston Wharves Limited. He pointed to the need for targeted modernisation efforts within Jamaica’s shipping regulations, which often lag international standards. “I think that it the problem is the regulation itself, and it’s not only a problem of Jamaica but many other countries. With good intention, government wants to update that regulation, but what is the focus? It’s like the big logistics hub projects. We want to be a logistics hub, so you want a regulation that covers or is an umbrella for everything. You can’t do that; but it will take five, seven years to get an acceptable document. So, the idea would be to focus on what we want to do, what we want to regulate, or what we want to modernise, and then focus on that specific improvement.”

Co-funded by the European Union and supported by its Global Gateway, the event highlighted the urgency of positioning Jamaica as a global logistics leader, and the need for strategic investments and forward-thinking approaches to navigate climate change and shifting trade dynamics to maintain Kingston’s competitive edge.