Why Belizeans Should Understand Maritime Affairs

When fuel prices rise, imported goods cost more or travel to the islands gets harder, part of the answer often lies at sea. Belize’s maritime sector keeps goods moving, communities connected and the tourism industry afloat. But global instability is disrupting shipping routes and driving up costs, making the sector’s impact harder to ignore. As Belize observes Maritime Week, News Five’s Shane Williams looks at the industry operating behind the scenes of everyday life.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

From the fuel in your vehicle to the goods on supermarket shelves, maritime activity touches the daily lives of Belizeans in ways that are often overlooked. As the Belize Port Authority commemorates World Maritime Day, Commissioner Kaylon Young is encouraging Belizeans to familiarize themselves with maritime activities to prepare for life’s economic forecasts.

 

Kaylon Young, Ports Commissioner

“Just to get an understanding of what maritime is, what it’s about, um, how it benefits our lives, how it affects our lives, how shipping on, on a whole affects our communities; for example, we are aware of the cost of living in Belize, but how does, for example, things like the incident in the Strait of Hormuz and how that affects the goods we import and the cost and of goods on the shelf.”

 

Belize’s tourism industry depends heavily on the sea. Water taxis provide a vital link to island communities, and nearly seven out of every ten visitors enjoy a marine activity during their stay.

 

Kaylon Young

“Looking at the water taxi operators. And so we have all of them here to share knowledge to the students, to the people coming in, and explain to them what, what the maritime is and what service they offer and how can they benefit from the maritime sector. The water taxi operators are – we use them daily, and so to see how they are promoting safety onboard their vessels and for those who travel back and forth to the cayes and stuff like that.”

 

But Belize’s maritime footprint extends far beyond its territorial waters. For years, one of the sector’s major challenges has been international scrutiny surrounding vessels flying the Belize flag. Some Belize-flagged ships have faced sanctions and other international enforcement actions, putting pressure on Belize to strengthen the oversight of its registry. That responsibility falls heavily on the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize — IMMARBE.

 

Abilio Dominguez, Managing Director, IMMARBE

“ We have a very dedicated, uh, team, the technical department, uh, that participates, uh, in many international forums, including, uh, Maritime Safety Committee, uh, uh, Maritime Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization. Our mandate is to supervise everyone working on board all the ships that they’re in full compliance with all the applicable national and international regulations.”

 

Maritime Week is turning policy into action as Belize works to build an adaptable and internationally trusted maritime sector. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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