News

Statement Regarding Safety & Security in the Caribbean (9 January 2026)  

Safety of our students and crew is our top priority at the Sea Education Association (SEA).  

Accordingly, we are actively monitoring the evolving situation in the southern Caribbean, particularly areas off the coast of Venezuela but also in the region more broadly. We continue to evaluate conditions closely and will communicate promptly should any developments arise.   

Our primary port of operation this 2026 winter season is in Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI – nearly 1,000 miles from the coast of Venezuela. Our most recent cruise tracks (November and December 2025) had been limited to US territorial waters.   

SEA has three upcoming programs in the Caribbean: 

• SEA-Harvard program will sail in USVI waters from 19 to 23 January 2026. 

• SEA Coral Reef Conservation Caribbean (CRCC) will get underway from St. Croix in mid-February 2026 and sail across the northern Caribbean to Anguilla and Dominica, with a return to St. Croix at the end of March 2026.  

• SEA Plastics and Marine Biodiversity (PBS) will get underway from St. Croix in early April 2026 and sail directly northward out of the Caribbean across the Sargasso Sea, passing by Bermuda with the expedition scheduled to arrive at our home port of Woods Hole, Massachusetts in mid- May.  

We are in regular contact with the US Department of State, the US Coast Guard, and our Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, DC to monitor the situation in the region being ever mindful of the safety and security of our students, faculty, and crew.  

SEA is prepared to adjust plans as needed based on guidance from U.S. authorities. 

At this time, there is no travel advisory in or around the USVI. Meanwhile, the island nations of Dominica and Anguilla remain under a Level 1 U.S. State Department travel advisory- this is the lowest risk advisory level. As such, there are currently no restrictions impacting our planned cruise tracks.  

SEA will issue weekly safety & security updates with more frequent updates if matters of concern arise. Note that SEA’s tall ship, the SSV Corwith Cramer, is a US-flagged ship that operates under strict regulatory oversight by the US Coast Guard. Our voyage plans and port calls are filed in advance with relevant authorities, and the ship’s movements are carefully monitored in real time by our Marine Operations Department using our Starlink Maritime low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication and tracking system. This also ensures direct and immediate voice and written communication with the ship’s captain. The captain also remains in contact with local port officials, and the vessel receives navigation and maritime warnings when underway at sea. In addition, the USCG will issue a Notice to Mariners about any specific situations of concern over VHF marine radio for harbors and coastal waters.