ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES COUNTRY REPORT TO 15 th Meeting of the Meso-America and Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES COUNTRY REPORT TO 15 th Meeting of the Meso-America and Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission Manzanillo, Calima, Mexico – 10 to 13 December 2014

OVERVIEW OF SVG GEOGRAPHY –32 islands and cays –9 inhabited islands – –Land Area: 389 sq km – –Water Area: 10,600 sq nm – –84 miles of coastline with large portions inaccessible

OVERVIEW OF SVG MARITIME ACTIVITIES – Coastal State - diverse shipping – Port State – 9 ports of entry – Flag State – 2000 international local ships

1. HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE/SERVICE – –Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has not yet officially designated a hydrographic office. This should be done in 2015.

2. SURVEYS: COVERAGE OF NEW SURVEYS – –No new comprehensive surveys conducted for many years due to lack of capacity. – –Ports in SVG need to be surveyed as a matter of priority.

3. NEW CHARTS & UPDATES: ENCS – –Some updates primarily resulting from engineering works require charting. – –No electronic or paper charts have been developed. (Officially recognized charts are as produced by UKHO.)

4. NEW PUBLICATIONS & UPDATES: NEW PUBLICATIONS – –No new publications or updates. – –(UKHO publications and updates are recognized by SVG.)

5. MSI: EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TRANSMISSION – –Pursuant to Section 149 of the SVG Shipping Act, No. 11 of 2004, the Director for Maritime Administration, is responsible for the dissemination for MSI “by any means as the circumstances warrant”.

5. MSI: EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TRANSMISSION – –MSI is disseminated via: The National Coast Radio Station J8F at Fort Charlotte which is operated by the SVG Port Authority (for coastal waters); SVG Coast Guard Service (J8B), , and radio and television (for local broadcasts).

6. C-55: LATEST UPDATE (TABLES) Nation/ Area LocalNoteCoastalNoteNAVAREANotePort InfoNote SVGYesRadio, TV, Coast Radio YesVia Coast Radio J8F VHF NAVAREA IV YesAlso through the SVGPA website

7. CAPACITY BUILDING: DEMAND FOR CAPACITY BUILDING – –Immediate need for Phase 1 training. – –Phase 2 training is also needed within the scope/findings of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Hydrographic Scoping Study (HSS) to determine needs and way ahead for the development of national and sub-regional hydrographic services.

8. OCEANOGRAPHIC ACTIVITIES GENERAL: GEBCO/IBC’S ACTIVITIES – –Tide gauges established for disaster response could provide tidal data in support of hydrography.

9. OTHER ACTIVITIES – –Training in the use of CARIS Limits and Boundaries Module from 6 to 8 October 2014 and marine spatial data were provided under an Ocean Governance Project supported by Commonwealth Secretariat.

9. OTHER ACTIVITIES – –Meteorological data is collected and managed by the Meteorological Unit within the Departments of Airport. – –The capacity of the office is being developed to better meet the needs of marine meteorology. – –The Met Office provides weather information Maritime Administration on a daily basis (routinely three times).

9. OTHER ACTIVITIES – –Governance: SVG will soon be adopting a National Ocean Policy and Action Plan “to maintain healthy and richly biodiverse oceans by securing, enforcing and sustainably managing the space in an integrated way so as to promote social, cultural and economic development and support the livelihoods and aspirations of current and future generations of Vincentians.”

9. OTHER ACTIVITIES – –Governance: SVG will soon be adopting a National Ocean Policy and Action Plan (NOP) as its over-arching national policy for the management of the nation’s marine space and resources “ to maintain healthy and richly biodiverse oceans by securing, enforcing and sustainably managing the space in an integrated way so as to promote social, cultural and economic development and support the livelihoods and aspirations of current and future generations of Vincentians.”

THANK YOU ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?