WILLEMSTAD – A climate-focused flotilla is set to sail through the Caribbean, including Curaçao, as part of a regional campaign calling for a just transition away from fossil fuels and greater recognition of climate justice and reparations.
The initiative, known as the Climate Justice Flotilla, will depart from Sint Maarten on April 8, 2026, with two vessels—Apsara and Ocean Rebellion—traveling through the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao en route to Santa Marta, where an international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels will take place.
The mission is intended to amplify Caribbean perspectives in global discussions on climate change and energy policy, particularly following criticism that recent international negotiations, including COP30, failed to produce a clear roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.
Organizers frame the journey as both symbolic and political, highlighting the Caribbean’s historical and ongoing role within global systems of resource extraction. According to the group, the region continues to face the legacy of colonial exploitation, including economic dependence, high energy costs, and vulnerability to environmental risks.
The flotilla’s route through territories that are still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is meant to draw attention to these historical connections and their present-day implications. Activists argue that meaningful climate action must address issues of sovereignty, economic inequality, and reparations.
Mar Faciolince Martina, a Colombian-Curaçaoan activist and member of the flotilla’s steering committee, stated that the Caribbean remains at the center of global climate injustice due to centuries of extraction and imposed dependence on fossil fuels.
According to the organizers, the mission seeks to promote an alternative vision of energy transition—one that prioritizes ecological sustainability, local control over resources, and restoration of systems related to food, water, land, and energy.
The flotilla is expected to arrive in Colombia in time for the international conference, where Caribbean representatives aim to contribute to discussions on the future of global energy systems and the role of developing regions in shaping that transition.