PINNOCK

World Maritime Week is symbolic not just in highlighting the impact that a small country like Jamaica with 2.7 million people and a world-class port has played in the global shipping industry but also a reminder of the Caribbean Maritime Institute's (CMI) 26th birthday.

The year's Inter-national Maritime Organisation's theme, 'Strategic Cooperation: The Way Forward for the Shipping Industry', strongly suggests that we cannot develop a shipping industry in isolation of the global community. The paradigm has shifted. Shipping has been relegated from the position of an exclusive industry to now becoming a small node on a large and integrated global supply chain. With this, power of control has been transferred from shipping lines to the 'customers' who have been now crowned king.

Within this framework, the CMI is now redefining itself to be able to provide the highest quality training to the newly emerging and dynamic shipping/logistics industry. Our focus has shifted from providing training predominantly for the ordinary seafarers to that of training officers of the highest levels for which there is a global shortfall of 10,000 which could exceed 25,000 by 2010 (as per BIMCO 2005 Annual Report).

Improvements

Largely, 'people' separate a successful company from an unsuccessful one within the same industry. Modern ships which 15 years ago were manned by 53 crew members are now being manned by 10 members at 10 times its original size. This clearly points to the fact that less low-level skilled crew members are needed (BIMCO stats).

Likewise, the traditional tertiary academic education does not cater for this shipping/logistics/supply chain, the global industry accounting for over 25 per cent value of world trade. The CMI sees the opportunity to satisfy this market niche. Hence, we are in the process of rolling out four Bachelor of Science degrees (port administration, logistics and supply chain management, shipping management, and cruise shipping and tourism management) in conjunction with highly accredited overseas universities with which we have formed strategic alliances.

The CMI salutes all our industry partners and will continue our commitment to play a vital part in the emerging new world order.

Fritz Pinnock

Executive Director

Caribbean Maritime

Institute