Capt. Dwain Hutchinson
Managing Director and CEO of The BMA
Looking back at the past few months, so much has changed for us all. Living with COVID-19 is presenting different challenges depending on where you are in the world.
At the beginning of the year, I said that The BMA’s focus would be on Seafarers, the Environment and Technology and I am very pleased that we have remained committed to those issues throughout 2022.
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Seafarers remain critical to the global economy and The BMA has taken every opportunity to recognise their value. The Bahamas recognises that seafarers are key workers, and promotes their wellbeing, whether through our engagement with the IMO Seafarer Crisis Action Team to manage issues relating to crew repatriation, through recognition of seafarer well-being training approvals, through active participation in the regulatory meetings at IMO and ILO aimed at seafarer training and labour standards and, most importantly, on a day-to-day basis with The BMA team addressing and supporting the onboard compliance requirements for our seafarers.
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Environment: The Bahamas is a staunch supporter of the IMO’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy with The BMA team actively engaged in all the IMO meetings as we continue to collaborate with our shipowners and the broader industry to achieve practical shipboard environmental requirements in line with our goal-based approach to the regulatory process. At a regional level, we are engaging with NAMEPA, the North America Marine Environment Protection Association which preserves the marine environment by promoting sustainable maritime industry best practices. I am also pleased with our ambassadorship for Eyesea, the non-profit organisation with a mission to map global pollution and maritime hazards with the help of the world’s mariners.
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Technology: Innovation in design and processes remains key to making sure that our industry is fit for the future, and we are building on the technology we implemented during the pandemic to make it even more user, and environmentally friendly. The IMO World Maritime Theme of ‘New Technologies for Greener Shipping’ is an ambition that The BMA fully supports. Digitalisation is at the heart of our organisation, but it must have purpose and benefits, whether to our seafarers, our environment, or our clients.
As we approach the end of 2022, our thoughts are inevitably looking forward to next year. On behalf of The BMA team, I would like to thank you for your support and wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2023.
