The meeting, held at the Ministry of Infrastructure, brought together representatives from the Police Marine Unit, Customs, Fisheries, and the private sector to address pressing challenges in the maritime industry and to outline strategies for developing the island’s blue economy.
Christopher Alexander, Director of Maritime Affairs, said the symposium forms part of SLASPA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen engagement and awareness within the boating community.
“Today it’s a continuation of the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority, our need for us to increase awareness and subsidization of the boating sector of Saint Lucia,” he explained.
“We have several agenda items and we wanted to, apart from enhancing safety and security, which is our key mandate as a maritime administration, let the boaters know in terms of what’s available for them to access.”
Alexander emphasised that improving collaboration and information sharing across the maritime sector is vital to ensuring both economic opportunity and public safety.
Acting Inspector Shawn Delice of the Police Marine Unit highlighted a troubling rise in marine-related incidents.
“Lately we have seen increasing drownings, distress calls, as a result of search and rescue operations,” Delice stated.
“They’re mainly because you have operators not carrying safety equipment on, not observing the environment, the maritime environment, and following weather reports.”
He noted that the Marine Unit has begun expanding public education initiatives to improve awareness among vessel operators.
“As a result, we decided to increase maritime education in the form of lectures and so forth,” Delice said. “We’ve actually asked for more personnel and assets so that we can provide a higher level of presence out there to deal with the incidents that we face.”
The symposium concluded with a shared commitment from all agencies to enhance safety standards, support sustainable use of marine resources, and ensure Saint Lucia’s maritime industry remains a cornerstone of national development.