Capt. Dwain Hutchinson
Managing Director and CEO of The BMA
It has been a busy few months for The BMA team who have been actively participating, in person and virtually, leveraging capabilities that have been enhanced over the COVID19 pandemic period, on the advances a number of regulatory fora. The team has also been engaging with our shipowners (individually and collectively through The Bahamas Shipowners Association) and industry partners around the globe from Asia to Europe to The UK and to the Americas.
This newsletter follows close on the heels of the IMO MEPC 80 meeting which resulted in the adoption of a revised strategy to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) from international shipping. Whilst the revised strategy and indicative checkpoints are more ambitious compared to the 2018 strategy, we look forward to the discussions on the technical and economic measures, including the review of the CII calculation, noting the need for an equitable transition for all in the sector. We understand that critical decisions by owners on choice of alternative fuels, voyage patterns and construction designs for new-building/refits are very much tied to a level of certainty in the regulatory process and we remain committed to avoiding a myriad of regional emission requirements.
I would like to extend my congratulations to Mr Arsenio Dominguez Velasco on his election as the next Secretary-General of the IMO. I have had opportunity to work with Mr Dominquez Velasco during his IMO journey and I look forward to supporting his leadership and management of the Organisation in the coming years.
Appropriate training remains a key issue in our industry’s drive for success and to meet the future challenges driven by technology (I will leave the issue of MASS and AI in shipping for another time) and regulatory compliance but, in addition, we need to ensure capacity building extends beyond positions onboard to the numerous shore-based roles needed to support vessels. It was a personal pleasure to meet some of the future mariners, Bahamian students in Nassau who were enrolled with The Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps (BMCC), as well as some of the Bahamian students further along in their studies at the IMO’s World Maritime University and the International Maritime Law Institute.
With 97 students graduating from the 2023 BMCC program, this is a positive outcome for national capacity building within The Bahamas and hopefully indicative of a surge in interest in the maritime sector worldwide. I am also encouraged with not only the increasing number of students who were enrolled in The BMCC program but also with the narrowing of the gender gap with more females entering and excelling within the programme.
As a ship Registry and regulator, the importance of collaboration remains fundamental to the development of practical requirements and guidance. I and The BMA team, of whom I remain proud, will continue to reach out to stakeholders within every part of our industry to ensure a collaborative approach to the challenges, and opportunities, that we all face.
Finally, in the 50th Year of The Bahamas Independence, I am honoured to be a part of The BMA team as we join the nation in striving towards a brighter and sustainable future aligned with our national motto to progress forward, upward, onward, together.
