Dutch report recommends Windward emergency support point for Sint Maarten

A Dutch review of crisis-management capacity recommends an emergency support point for the Windward Islands, including Sint Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius. The 89-page report was submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives on Monday 5 October, according to the Dutch Ministries of Justice and Security and the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

The report, commissioned by the two ministries and prepared by Crisisplan BV, assesses capacity in Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius. It recommends two regional support points, with the Windward location holding equipment for emergencies. The Ministry of Justice and Security said it will work with the islands on a proposal covering how the points would be set up and equipped.

The report also recommends expanding the Caribbean Civil Protection Mechanism, launched in 2025 for the six islands. Sint Maarten, Aruba and Curaçao contribute personnel to the mechanism, which includes a regional exercise calendar and a pool of crisis professionals, the Dutch government said. The ministries have earmarked about €600,000 over three years for its further development.

Among the other recommendations are more shared planning, training, reserve staff and logistics capacity, including equipment that can move between islands. The report also calls for stronger joint maritime search-and-rescue capacity. Search-and-rescue coordination for Sint Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius is handled by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Martinique, with the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard active in the islands' territorial waters.

The report's detailed island profiles were not publicly identified by name. The Dutch government said findings assigned to individual unnamed islands therefore cannot automatically be applied to Sint Maarten.