BERNARD

The following is a New Year message from Michael Bernard, president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica.

We begin 2007 with a strong resolve to transform our challenges into opportunities. We are living in a period of rapid and sustained change in the local, regional and global shipping industry. It is a time of great excitement for those of us who have made this industry our career and who have given so much of ourselves and our lives to its growth.

While it may seem that we are constantly being challenged these days to make sacrifices to enhance the growth of this sector, I believe the rewards for ourselves, our country and our people will be considerable if we adopt the correct approaches and grasp the opportunities that abound.

MOST GLOBALISED INDUSTRY

It has often been said that shipping is the most globalised of all industries, and if you consider the fact that a vessel that loads and discharges in Kingston does exactly the same in another port within 24 hours of its departure from Kingston, then it would not be incorrect to assume that such a vessel would expect similar levels of service in each port. Similarity of service should be assumed to be similarity of 'high-quality service'.

The bulk of our business is trans-shipment, providing easy movement from one port to another, so if we are to prevail in this business, it is incumbent on all of us who are participants in the industry to find the appropriate solutions to guarantee a continuously increasing quality of service.

We at the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) are committed to this principle and have done much over the past several years to demonstrate this. It is no coincidence that we have intensified the type, levels and quality of training that we are providing for our workers. It is also the reason why we have introduced programmes such as the 'Lunch and Learn Seminars' to increase the awareness of our younger colleagues in the shipping industry about issues that affect the sector and the nation as a whole.

If we are to continue to be successful in this business, then all partners - workers, owners, agents, terminals, stevedoring companies and others - must share the vision of a port and of an industry which is a vital part of the global logistics chain. We must see ourselves as provider of service to the world - first, through the shipping lines that call our ports, but most important, to the global consumers whose goods and materials pass through our ports.

High quality service

If we see the containers and bulk items that pass through our ports as being items anxiously awaited by producers and consumers who rely on us to get it to them quickly and safely, and if we can visualise the satisfaction experienced by manufacturers, traders and consumers when they receive high-quality goods handled by the workers at our ports, then we can begin to grasp our roles as providers of a vital service to the world.

We should be mindful of the fact that there are others in our region desirous and well placed to offer such services and are preparing their ports to do so at a level and quality that they hope we cannot match. If we can do all of these things, then we should prepare to do all in our power to ensure that the competition remains behind us. We have the ability, we have the time, we have the resources. We must use them well to stay ahead.

Many years ago when the industry was being shaped, our sector leaders looked to a future when we would become the top trans-shipment port in the region. We have, indeed, become that through the commitment of all stakeholders - labour and management. And together we have made the changes, often with give-and-take strategies on both sides, to give the port continued growth and relevance.

We are at the point again, because of the rapid changes taking place in the world and because of our global ambitions, when we must now ensure that our next steps are coordinated to achieve the objective of making Kingston the pre-eminent hub port of Central America and the Caribbean. At every level, therefore, each stakeholder must ensure that our work practices and attitudes are world-standard. We must ensure that each day we focus on achieving the utmost for our industry and, by extension, our children and ourselves.

Skilled stevedore workforce

The SAJ has continued to make a meaningful contribution to the Port of Kingston in the primary area of service, which is the provision of a highly skilled stevedore workforce, many of whom have been trained to operate in new skill areas, such as equipment operations and as stevedore coordinators. Our workers have proven themselves as being worthy of such consideration. We have also renewed training in winch operations, to provide for some small growth in the breakbulk traffic.

Training and employment

The announcement in the latter part of 2005 of the PAJ's acquisition of 500,000 additional container moves into Kingston via Maersk Shipping Line resulted in the SAJ's resumption of the employment of stevedores in the casual category. From November 2005 to September 2006, the SAJ recruited and trained 139 stevedores.

This was supplemented in October 2006 by the employment of 10 substitute winch operators, as a response to the increase in cement shipments at Kingston Wharves. Over the past year, the SAJ has invested heavily in training and personnel development. An intensive training programme has resulted in stevedores being trained in the areas of straddle carrier operators, quay gantry crane operators, stevedore coordinators and forklift operators. Stevedores have, therefore, become multi-skilled and are currently working in these categories on a regular basis.

In addition, the SAJ has embarked upon the development of a certification programme for the stevedore category. This project is being spearheaded by the SAJ with the assistance of HEART's National Vocational Training Department. A technical team consisting of representatives from the SAJ, HEART and other relevant agencies has completed the competency standards for Level One of the programme. The team is currently working on Level Two, which will soon be ready. The SAJ is ensuring that it continues to provide training and development for port workers to the highest International Labour Organisation standards, so that they can respond to the changes taking place in global shipping.

PSOJ Job Creation Awards

The Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) received the prestigious 'Employment Creation and 40+ Award' from the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's (PSOJ) at a function held on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel.

I accepted the plaque on behalf of the association from Camille Facey, senior vice-president and company secretary of Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd., sponsors of the award.

In announcing the award, Lola Fong Wright, chief executive officer of the PSOJ, noted that the SAJ was selected "in recognition of its significant investment which has led to creation of sustainable employment opportunities and for providing employment for over 40 years".

Mrs. Fong Wright informed the public that "During the 12-month period, the SAJ had, in response to the personnel requirements of the port, recruited 47 persons in the category of stevedores, with confidence that these jobs would be sustained for more than two years. At that time, the association employed 230 stevedores, but now employs a total of 364.

With regard to the competitiveness of the local shipping industry, our highly-skilled workers, and the industrial climate that we have created, serve to enhance the viability of the Port of Kingston.

Challenges Ahead

There are still some challenges ahead of us, but I have the confidence that our members, partners, port workers and staff will continue to work as one team to create solutions that deepen and strengthen the SAJ's relevance to our industry into the future.

The SAJ is proud of our contribution towards making our port a modern, state-of-the-art facility that is now ranked among the top 60 in the world. We will continue to be an active participant in ensuring that Jamaica's shipping industry remains competitive and viable for the long haul.

Cruise and outports schedule

vessel	Port	Date
JAMAICA FREIGHT MV Seaboard Voyager	Montego Bay	09/01
MV Seaboard Venture	Montego Bay	13/01
LANNAMAN & MORRIS Imagination	Ocho Rios	09/01
Carnival Conquest	Montego Bay	10/01
MSC Lirica	Ocho Rios	11/01
Carnival Triumph	Ocho Rios	11/01
Aida Aura	Ocho Rios	12/01
Aida Aura	Montego Bay	13/01
Coral Princess	Ocho Rios	14/01
Crystal Serenity	Ocho Rios	14/01
Norwegian Dawn	Ocho Rios	15/01
Star Princess	Ocho Rios	15/01
SEABOARD JAMAICA Seaboard Voyager	Montego Bay	09/01
Seaboard Venture	Montego Bay	13/01

Taken from The Daily Gleaner, Tuesday January 9, 2007