Peter John Goulandris’ name has been synonymous with The Bahamas Maritime Authority since it was established in 1995. He not only played a vital role in the foundation of the Authority but has held the position of Deputy Chair from the very beginning, so it seems timely to feature an interview with him in this commemorative issue of The Flag.
Q. The BMA is this year celebrating its 25th Anniversary which means that you have been Deputy Chair for 25 years. What do you consider have been The BMA’s greatest achievements during that period?
I am very proud of the fact that The BMA has become a significant centre of competence – one that sets very high standards for itself. Thanks to the quality of its people, and the quality of its shipowners, The BMA is respected across the world. I am proud of the great work we do at the IMO, where we play a pro-active role in moving important issues forward, and where we attempt to bring diverse nations and interests together wherever possible. Above all, I’m very proud of the people of The BMA – there’s genuine expertise there, and great good will. Our motto is ’Progress, Honour, Service’, and we try to honour that every day.
We have come a long way, but we hold ourselves to a standard of continuous improvement. We remain conscious of where we have to do better; we are always building, always evolving.
Q. Where do you hope to see The BMA in five years’ time?
In five years, I would hope that The BMA would be continuing to grow, to cultivate new knowledge and provide new and valuable services. On the environmental side for example, we are entering an era of great stress in terms of controlling emissions and protecting the environment. For the maritime industry to meet its targets, we need new technologies. So the industry is embarking on efforts which will be revolutionary rather than evolutionary. And I would hope and expect that The BMA will be involved in these efforts as a leader and shaper of the future.
I would also hope to see our fleet grow over time. It has developed in a very healthy way but there are still parts of the world in which The BMA is under-represented. So we have plenty of room to expand without compromising our quality, and we are planning to achieve that.
Q. Looking back at those early days of The BMA, did you expect it to become such a significant force in the maritime sector?
Yes, I think so. I always had a tremendous confidence in our people, and we always had marvellous support from our Government, from day one. We were given an initial stake by the government, $1,000,000 I think, and since then we have returned to the Government well over a hundred times that number, so we have been steady financial contributors to the treasury and to the Bahamian people, and we hope to improve on that as well.
You grow because you do a good job, people hear about you, you try to make the right connections, you make sure you’re out in the marketplace. And, in a sense, we have undersold ourselves because we tend to be low-key people. We have a small staff for our size, and we let our work speak for itself. But we’re getting better support at messaging, both internally and externally, and I think the message is growing and improving.
The BMA operates in a very competitive arena. We have to compete with our fellow registries; we do some things better than they do, and in some instances we learn from their strengths to benefit our shipowners. So, we compete every day to serve our clients and to serve our Country.
Q. The BMA has opened offices in Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and New York. Would you like to see a BMA presence in any other region of the world?
Asia in particular has several major markets – Singapore, Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong. Although we already service them well, including through our offices in Hong Kong and Japan, we wish to serve the maritime sector broadly, internationally. In due course we will have offices in each major maritime centre but in the meanwhile we are exploring different modalities, such as exclusive local agents, which can lead to our opening an office, as happened in Japan.
Shipowners want to know that there is someone down the street they can call, that they can get a quick answer, personal service, and excellent response time. We are good at that, but we are also willing to invest directly in a market in order for that market to invest in us. We take the first step, and we are patient; The BMA is here for the long haul. We bring to the table a lot that can make our shipowners’ businesses better and safer. And we look for shipowner relationships that respect and transcend the regulator/regulated, to form lasting partnerships.
Q. On a personal level, what has brought you most joy during your time with The BMA?
If you ask what I’ve got the most joy from, it’s people across the board – Prime Ministers, Ministers, Members of Government, Chairmen, Boards, people of the Bahamas, the great support we get. I have worked with terrific people. I have made wonderful, lasting friendships. It has been a privilege
I’m also so proud of our Country. We are a great people. We have multiple centres of outstanding competence – in financial services, in tourism, in cultural affairs, medical care, cuisine – you name it and we have world class standing! That The BMA has made its mark, as well, is a source of pride.
I am proud of our youth, which The BMA does its part to encourage in a number of ways: through the Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps, through supporting scholarships for Bahamians attending maritime academies, through the training of young people for maritime careers. Our wonderful Shipowners Association has been very generous and supportive in this regard. Maritime teaches skill and discipline, team effort and attention to detail. All of these are important lessons for anybody’s future.
I mentioned our Shipowners’ Association. They are a very strong group of exceptional people. They give us tremendous support, and we welcome their invaluable feedback as to what we do well, and where we can do better.
Q. We can’t ignore the coronavirus pandemic. What aspects of The Bahamas’ response to COVID do you think were particularly effective?
The pandemic has posed a challenge to the lives of everyone in the world. It’s the first time any of us has experienced a threat so broad and so insidious. It has devastated lives and it has devastated economic activity – jobs and livelihoods – everywhere. Being an archipelago reliant on travel by sea, The Bahamas has wrestled with unique issues – how to balance the physical needs of the Bahamas and Bahamians with the challenges of the virus and controlling its spread. How to keep essential services on-going and still
save lives. The Bahamas I think has made a brilliant effort, which is still active.
Members of The BMA were asked to help look after some of the maritime aspects of the pandemic, concerning the Bahamian people, and also for the many cruise ships and their seafarers that we allowed to shelter in our waters during such a difficult time.
We have had wonderful leadership. Our Chairman, Ambassador Lewis-Johnson has been tireless in her work, day in and day out. I have seen heroes at every level, working to address novel challenges and keeping people safe. The Chairman has been leading a terrific team, including our Managing Director, Captain Hutchinson, and Senior Commander Berne Wright who leads the Port Department. The team is still hard at work at the direction of the Prime Minister, doing what it can to help.
Every one of us prays for the day when the pandemic will be at an end. We see a light growing brighter, little by little, as the ability to be vaccinated grows closer. We have all been in this together, and I believe the Bahamas can be proud of how its people have confronted this scourge – humanely, responsibly and courageously.
Thank you, Mr. Goulandris. Do you have a closing thought?
In closing, I congratulate, and thank, all those many individuals who have supported The Bahamas Maritime Authority in its first twenty-five years of service. I wish the Authority twenty-five more years of inspired service to the maritime industry and to The Bahamas.
I congratulate, and thank, all those many individuals who have supported The Bahamas Maritime Authority in its first twenty-five years of service. I wish the Authority twenty-five more years of inspired service to the maritime industry and to The Bahamas.
