The viability of shipping can only be guaranteed by highly trained, skilled and knowledgeable seafarers and land-based maritime professionals to operate ships and ports of the world.This was stated by Chairman of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), Peter-John Gordon, as he addressed worshippers at a church service, held at the Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston yesterday, to mark the beginning of Maritime Awareness Week, which runs until September 26.
Addressing the theme, ‘Maritime Education and Training’, chosen by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for the observation of World Maritime Day on September 26, Gordon said it demonstrates to the world that shipping is a highly technical professional discipline, which demands high skill levels, knowledge and expertise which will not be acquired through work or on-the-job experience.
“Proper standards of training are the only guarantee of a safe, secure, efficient and clean shipping industry,” he emphasised.
According to Gordon, the theme also speaks to the human element of shipping, particularly the seafarers, who must be comprehensively trained and certified, based on the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping, a treaty which Jamaica has adopted.
“As a truly international industry, shipping must therefore have a global network of specialist education and training institutions to ensure a consistent stream of high calibre recruits,” the chairman said.
“This includes not only well qualified faculty members in the training institutions, but also establishments equipped with the latest technology, such as simulators for both navigation and marine engineering training and the provision of practical internship on board ships to qualify for examinations,” he added.
The chairman said that Jamaica is fortunate to have, in the Caribbean Maritime Institute, the only IMO recognised training institution for officers in the English-speaking Caribbean for seafarers.
“We here in Jamaica are proud of our own maritime traditions, our maritime education and training standards and profile as a maritime State,” he said.
Shipping serves global trade by carrying cargo around the world. More than 90 per cent of world trade goes by sea, and in Jamaica, approximately 93 per cent of the country’s trade is conveyed by ships.
Source: Jamaica Observer
