Michael Bernard, president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica, is given a warm welcome by L.M. Richards-Dindial (right), governor of Curaçao, at the opening of the Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference that was held in Willemstad from May 22-24. Looking on is CorahAnn Robertson Sylvester, president of the Caribbean Shipping Association. - CONTRIBUTED
A DELEGATION of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), led by President Michael Bernard, represented Jamaica at the Caribbean Shipping Association's fifth annual Shipping Executives Conference held in Willemstad, Curaçao, from May 22-24.
Other members of the SAJ delegation included immediate past President Harry Maragh; SAJ Managing Committee members Grantley Stephenson and Kim Clarke; General Manager Trevor Riley; HRD Manager Diana Reynolds; Research, Projects and Communication Executive Sacha Vaccianna, and accountant Alvin Lawrence.
CorahAnn Robertson-Sylvester, president of the Caribbean Shipping Association, describes the Shipping Executives Conference as "an annual event that presents a unique opportunity for leaders of the Caribbean's maritime industry to share and increase their knowledge about issues, developments and trends in the maritime industries of the Caribbean and to update intelligence and contacts." Mrs. Robertson-Sylvester is also a member of the SAJ's Managing Committee.
This fifth annual conference of leaders and managers in shipping covered topics and issues critical to operations and business success. During the first two days of the conference, delegates received presentations and discussed critical issues such as:
'Trade liberalisation and the effect on maritime trade', presented by Ramesh Chaitoo, services specialist at the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery based in Barbados; and Sacha Vaccianna, research, projects and communication executive of the SAJ;
'Trade Logistics and Supply Chain Management', presented by Francisco J. Ricaurte, Caribbean operations manager, Latin America District, United Parcel Service Supply Chain Solutions, based in Florida.
'Handling Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Material', presented by Peter Fitt of the West Coast Maritime Institute, Canada.
'Customs Reform and Modernisation in the Caribbean', presented by Julian G. Lopez Ramirez, commissioner of customs and excise, Netherlands Antilles.
'Ship Size and Port Facilities', a very crucial area at this time, given the rapid increase in the size of ships now being employed in all trades, was presented by David Bindler, president of David Bindler Consulting Limited of the United States.
Other topics covered by expert presenters on the first two days of the fourth annual Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference included 'Corporate Social Responsibility' and 'Disaster Preparedness and Relief'.
CRUISE INDUSTRY SYMPOSIUM
The third day of the event, May 24, was dedicated to cruise shipping and the Caribbean industry in particular. Delegates focused on a range of topics vital to the growth and development of the cruise industry, a pillar of Caribbean national economies.
Cruise issues were addressed by Horace Hord, regional vice-president, Royal Caribbean International/Celebrity Cruises, and Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.
The Shipping Association of Jamaica is a founding member of the Caribbean Shipping Association which was established in 1971 to facilitate the development of an efficient, viable Caribbean shipping industry.
