The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) reported that the importance of the Caribbean maritime sector depends heavily on the successful implementation of international regulations, adding that the livelihood of most Caribbeans depends on the shipping industry.
Specifically, the Director General of the MAJ, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady participated in a workshop to share knowledge, inform and help stakeholders with the best practice of the newly enforced IMO regulations, aiming to improve Caribbean maritime cooperation.
Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady stated that
Full and complete implementation of our treaty obligations require incorporating international maritime legislation in domestic law and investing in adequate human resources and facilities.
Moreover, he added that Jamaica conducts the 93% of its trade by sea, noting that maritime issues are of great importance to the Caribbean States, keeping in mind that the countries are circled by sea and people living there have love and respect for the marine environment.
Referring to the ‘Blue Economy‘, he stated that
The livelihood of a significant number of Caribbean people therefore depends on the ships trading, also cruise tourism and inter-island transportation, but many also depend on fishing, various commodities and minerals including exploited hydro-carbons which all constitute the myriad benefits of our Blue Economy.
Given the relation of the Caribbean economy to the seas, the former have to implement specific strategies, legislation and practice to provide for the sustainable use of the seas as a transportation corridor, for exploitation and extraction of resources in a carefully managed way.
The legislation proposed must set safety and environmental standards which will be in line with IMO’s international standards, as according to Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady “all shipping is an international business governed by international treaties, rules and standards to which we sign up.”
Concluding, the discussions took place in a workshop conducted in Kingston, Jamaica, being the first Caribbean Regional Knowledge Partnership Workshop on maritime technical cooperation activities, by the IMO in collaboration with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ).
