Shipping | Jamaica moves to strengthen port waste management under International Maritime Agreement

Jamaica is moving to fulfil its international obligations to keep ship-generated plastic out of Caribbean waters, with a technical study now examining whether the country’s major ports have the infrastructure to receive and manage waste from visiting vessels. 
The study is being conducted under the GloLitter Partnerships Project, a joint initiative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which supports developing countries in preventing and reducing marine plastic litter from the shipping and fisheries sectors. Jamaica is one of a number of Lead Partnering Countries selected to implement the project at the national level, with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) serving as the lead agency.
“Jamaica’s selection as a Lead Partnering Country reflects international recognition of our commitment to this work,” said Vannessia Stewart, director of legal affairs at the MAJ. “Jamaica is widely regarded as a respected maritime state, and this selection reaffirms our commitment to protecting the marine environment, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the IMO’s vision for a low-plastics future for our oceans. It also signals a high level of political commitment to prioritising the London Convention, the London Protocol, MARPOL Annex V, and relevant FAO instruments, underpinned by a strong national policy agenda on environmental protection.”
In April 2026, an international expert team visited Jamaica to conduct site assessments at Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL), Kingston Wharves Limited, and the Riverton City Waste Management Facility. Consultations were held with key national stakeholders including the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Port Authority of Jamaica, and the Shipping Association of Jamaica.
The assessments are intended to examine the full journey of waste received from ships, from collection at the port through sorting, storage, transportation, treatment and final disposal. Effective port reception therefore depends on more than the availability of containers at the quayside. It requires clearly defined procedures, sufficient capacity, appropriate treatment options and coordination among ports, regulators, shipping interests and waste management providers.
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (PoABI), an internationally recognised centre of excellence in port infrastructure, policy, and sustainability, is providing technical expertise to the study. The assessment will produce a techno-economic feasibility report and bankable proposals for port waste reception infrastructure that could attract investment and support Jamaica’s obligations under MARPOL Annex V.
The feasibility exercise is expected to consider practical issues such as the types and volumes of waste generated by vessels calling at Jamaican ports, available collection methods, existing treatment capacity, and the institutional arrangements required to operate and monitor the system. These considerations will help determine what infrastructure is needed, where it should be located, and how it could be operated sustainably.
As a State Party to MARPOL, Jamaica is legally required to ensure that adequate port reception facilities are available for ship-generated waste. Under IMO requirements, these facilities must meet the needs of the vessels using the port without causing undue delay. This is important because ships’ ability to comply with restrictions on the discharge of garbage at sea depends significantly on whether suitable facilities are available when they arrive in port.
The Wider Caribbean Region has been designated a Special Area under MARPOL Annex V, a classification reflecting the region’s ecological sensitivity and the particular character of maritime traffic in its waters. The designation places the Caribbean under stricter controls governing the discharge of garbage from vessels and reinforces the importance of having adequate reception facilities throughout the region.
For Jamaica, the initiative is therefore both an environmental and a maritime operational priority. A reliable system would give visiting vessels clear arrangements for discharging waste responsibly, while strengthening the country’s capacity to ensure that waste received at its ports is managed safely on land. It would also support the protection of marine resources on which coastal communities, fisheries and tourism depend.
The current assessment builds on work undertaken in Kingston in December 2024, when representatives of Jamaica’s maritime and port authorities participated in workshops to develop port waste management plans. The sessions addressed compliance, monitoring and enforcement under MARPOL Annex V, with particular attention to plastic waste, including waste originating from fishing vessels. Port State control training was also conducted to strengthen national capacity to monitor compliance.
Stewart added that the MAJ’s goal is a feasibility assessment credible enough to attract investment and substantial enough to support Jamaica’s port waste management infrastructure for years to come.
The study is expected to be completed by September 15, 2026, with findings set to inform investment decisions and support Jamaica’s ongoing efforts to meet its international environmental obligations.
The GloLitter Partnerships Project was initially funded by the government of Norway and supports the IMO’s Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships, as well as complementary FAO measures targeting abandoned, lost, and otherwise discarded fishing gear.