Trinidad redesigns its coat of arms and removes Columbus’s three famous ships

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Officials in Trinidad and Tobago are redesigning the coat of arms to remove references to European colonization for the first time since the island's creation in 1962, a move welcomed by many.

Christopher Columbus's three ships – the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa María – are replaced by the steelpan, a popular percussion instrument that originated on the eastern Caribbean island.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley made the announcement to a standing ovation on Sunday and said the coat of arms would be redesigned before the end of September.

“This should be a sign that we are on the way to removing the colonial remnants from our constitution,” he said.

The current coat of arms also features hummingbirds, a palm tree and a scarlet ibis, the national bird of Trinidad.

Rowley's announcement comes about a week before a scheduled public hearing in Trinidad and Tobago to consider the removal of certain statues, signs and monuments.

The upcoming change is part of a global movement to eradicate symbols of the colonial era. In recent years, Columbus statues have been removed or toppled across the United States.

Columbus arrived in Trinidad and Tobago in 1498.