Haiti’s top maritime regulator has launched a urgent compliance push targeting unsafe coastal shipping operations in the Caribbean nation’s territorial waters, announcing strict penalties for vessel owners that fail to resolve outstanding maintenance violations. In an official circular published April 21, 2026, Éric Prévost Jr., Director General of the Haitian Maritime and Navigation Service (SEMANAH), exercised his statutory authority over navigational safety and maritime law enforcement to order immediate adherence to existing maritime rules for all coastal vessels operating in Haitian jurisdiction.
The regulator confirmed that it has documented widespread non-compliance across the sector, with a significant number of vessels failing to meet mandatory requirements for periodic dry-dock maintenance. These violations directly contradict core provisions of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), including all subsequent amendments, as well as established clauses in Haiti’s own domestic Maritime and Navigation Code.
Under the new directive, any vessel found operating outside regulatory guidelines has been given a strict 15-day window, counting from the date the circular is formally served, to submit either a valid, up-to-date dry-docking certificate or a fully completed technical report of a recent hull inspection to SEMANAH for review. Failure to correct the violation and submit the required documentation within this mandated timeframe will trigger immediate administrative action: the vessel’s operating permit will be automatically suspended with no additional administrative procedures required, and all commercial and private maritime activity for that craft will be banned until compliance is achieved.
SEMANAH made clear that competent local enforcement authorities will be called in to ensure these measures are implemented, and that enforcement via official force remains an option if non-compliant operators refuse to cooperate. In a statement accompanying the circular, the agency emphasized that it will not accept any operational practice that puts seafarers, coastal communities, or Haiti’s sensitive marine ecosystem at unnecessary risk. The move comes amid growing international and domestic pressure to improve maritime safety standards across Haiti’s coastline, a critical transport artery for the island nation’s domestic trade and supply networks.