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Caribbean Shipping Lanes · UWI-CSL
Connecting global shipping negotiations with the people they affect.
At the International Maritime Organization (IMO), countries are negotiating how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. The discussions bring together complex questions about cleaner fuels, emissions, costs and a fair transition. For wider audiences, it can be difficult to understand what is being proposed, what remains undecided and how the changes could affect them.
Working with the Caribbean Shipping Lanes (UWI-CSL) Project, Dervin uses storytelling, interviews and video to make these global discussions accessible. He breaks down the technical information, bring forward the people involved and connect the negotiations to the bigger picture—helping audiences understand what is at stake for the Caribbean and why it matters.
This case study presents Dervin’s professional work with UWI-CSL and the communications experience he brings to DASTPO.
To learn more about the Caribbean Shipping Lanes Project, visit the UWI Shridath Ramphal Centre website .
The approachPeople first. Plain language. Bigger picture.
What does the audience really need to know?
Dervin’s starting point is the people—not the technical terminology. He focuses on the people involved in the discussions and those who may be affected by the decisions, using their perspectives to make a complex policy story relevant.
He then breaks the information into clear, manageable explanations: what is being discussed, why it matters, what is at stake and what remains unresolved. The aim is to use simple language without losing the substance or presenting a proposal as a settled decision.
Each interview and edit connects those details to the bigger picture. Rather than reproduce everything said in a negotiating room, he asks what a wider audience needs to understand about the global transition in shipping and its possible implications for Caribbean economies and everyday life.
Featured conversation · UWI-CSL
World Maritime Day: A convo with Jamaica's Permanent Secretary to the IMO
An interview with Dmitry, hosted by Dervin Osbourne for Caribbean Shipping Lanes.
Inside the negotiations. Beyond the meeting room.
Dervin joined the CSL team at the IMO in London for the 84th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 84). The assignment was to unpack the complex discussions taking place and give the general public an accessible view of the negotiations and what was at stake.
Dervin developed the communications strategy, coordinated interviews and edited the videos, shaping technical conversations into stories that wider audiences could follow. The focus was not simply to document attendance, but to explain the issues behind the meeting and their significance beyond the maritime sector.
Bringing specialist perspectives into the story
Dervin interviewed delegations from across the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific, alongside major global players in shipping decarbonisation, including the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. These conversations brought regional priorities and specialist perspectives into the same story, helping explain the proposals, what was at stake and why the discussions mattered to different countries and communities.
The three videos below offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the discussions, connecting expert explanations with the wider story of shipping’s transition. They capture the context of the April–May 2026 session, rather than serving as a live update on subsequent negotiations.
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CSL at MEPC 84 · Video 2
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Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping
ResultsVisibility and engagement.
Results and stakeholder engagement
A stronger digital presence
CSL expanded its digital presence, particularly on LinkedIn, increasing the visibility of its work among regional delegates and international stakeholders. Communications brought a Caribbean perspective on shipping and climate policy to wider audiences.
Making complex policy discussions accessible
The content translated developments at the International Maritime Organization into clear, practical stories about why the discussions matter. By connecting technical issues with their human significance, it made the work more approachable for audiences beyond the negotiating rooms.
International interest in collaboration
The communications approach attracted interest from African and Pacific coalitions seeking to work with CSL. Their response highlighted the value of explaining complex issues in ways that resonate across regional contexts.
Stronger engagement with senior stakeholders
CSL’s growing visibility and recognition helped attract senior stakeholders to participate in interviews, creating further opportunities to share perspectives and explain the significance of the work underway at the IMO.