Firstly, I hope that everyone has had a positive, productive and most importantly healthy first few months of the year. For my latest update, I’ll cover the three issues that we at The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) consider as the key for the shipping industry – namely: Seafarers, the Environment and Technology.
The human element and more specifically seafarers remain the critical component to the sector and their role throughout the pandemic cannot be overestimated. Without this dedicated, competent and committed group, global trade would have ground to a halt, causing major shortages of food, medical supplies, goods and other essential items that billions of people take for granted.
Since early 2020, we have worked with strategic partners and our ship owners to support mariners facing significantly longer periods at sea as a result of the ongoing crew change crisis. Our Seafarer COVID-19 Welfare Survey, launched in April 2021, captures and reflects the physical and mental wellbeing of crewmembers who have continued manning and operating vessels throughout the pandemic.
Results from the survey which cover the human element, training and crew welfare will be shared with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labour Organization. In the meantime, we encourage our partners and ship owners to continually review crew competency and expertise, as the industry steers towards a new tech age arising from the IMO’s mandate for zero emissions by 2050.
Turning to the environment, all sectors must commit to tackling climate change, and shipping is no exception with investment in technology key to reducing the global maritime sector’s carbon footprint. Along with our partners, we support the targets set at COP26 to make maritime an eco-friendly industry targeting designing and operating green vessels that run on clean rather than fossil fuels. As a small island developing country managing a quality ship Registry, we are encouraged by the proposals and recognise the commitment of the industry to make the necessary investment to achieve the ambitious green house gas reduction goal which aligns with the IMO 2022 maritime theme of New Technologies for Greener shipping.
I am sure that over the period of the pandemic, we have all become more familiar and appreciative of the technology that has enabled effective communication and continued provision and receipt of goods and services. For The BMA, the ability to capitalise on our experiences with technology during the pandemic has facilitated the progression of our online services and processes which improves efficiency and introduces environmental benefits for our customers and The BMA team. The use of technology facilitated remote surveys and audits to ensure ships remained operational and also allowed for ongoing seafarer training so that they were able to continue working throughout and beyond the pandemic.
These are my thoughts for the issues ahead and which I look forward to discussing with you, hopefully in person, at maritime events throughout the year. Take care and continue to be safe.
Capt. Dwain Hutchinson
Managing Director and CEO of The BMA
