Progress, collaboration and steady growth

As we reflect on the 2024–2025 period, I am proud to highlight a year of meaningful progress, bold collaboration, and steady growth for the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA). Our work continues to be guided by our mission to serve as the unifying voice of the regional maritime sector, bringing together public and private stakeholders to address challenges, drive innovation, and create opportunities across our diverse and dynamic industry.

Read more: From the CSA president, William Brown

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From F&B to the Maritime Industry

Energy and hard work are the key ingredients for any successful business career. These attributes are also easily transferable and so it has proved for DP World Paramaribo’s CEO Mervel Kotzebue-Fleur. From bottling company and bakery sales, Ms Kotzebue-Fleur made a somewhat surprising and unusual switch to shipping but has never looked back.

Q. Where were you born?
A. I was born in Paramaribo on 22 November 1969.

Q. What influence did your parents have on your early life?

A. My mother was a driving force in providing support to me so I could have a better life and not to settle for less than the best in my career. My dad encouraged me to go the extra mile and has been for me a symbol of integrity and leadership in our home church.

Read more: Profile: Mervel Kotzebue-Fleur

Matching port capacity to economic growth

Suriname may be a couple of years behind neighboring Guyana in transforming its economy on the back of recent offshore oil discoveries, but the beneficial economic impact on Suriname will be no less dramatic than the boom Guyana has experienced in recent times.

The same is true for Suriname’s ports, shipping and freight sectors which like Guyana are getting a serious capacity upgrade in readiness for the heavy demands that a fast-growing offshore oil sector will place on existing port facilities – not just in the creation of new support bases, but also the nation’s ability to handle the expected increase in imports of all kinds. Yet despite the high expectations and optimistic forecasts, cargo throughput at the Port of Paramaribo actually fell slightly in 2024 compared with 2023. Nevertheless, a momentum is certainly building.

Read more: Suriname port projects