Day of the Seafarer

When Claudia Grant began her career at the Port of Kingston in 1986 armed with a first degree and an eagerness to learn, little did she know that this would be her foray into a lifetime of service to the maritime industry. Thirty-four years later, she is second in command at the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), serving as Deputy Director General of the body since its inception in 2001.

The Government of Jamaica has launched protocols to enable crew changes for vessels serving Jamaican ports. The protocols form part of the measures passed under the Disaster Risk Management Act which were announced by the prime minister last week and comes after lobbying by members of the local shipping sector and a recommendation by the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), which is the agency responsible for the regulation of the welfare of seafarers in Jamaica.

Jamaica was re-elected to serve on the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the 31st Session of the IMO’s General Assembly, held at its London headquarters, on November 29.

Jamaica, which was returned for a second successive term, will serve alongside the Bahamas as the two Caribbean countries on the IMO Council for the 2020-2021 biennium.

THE Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) is urging boaters to be vigilant and to take precautionary measures when traversing the waterways this Heroes' weekend.

“The Maritime Authority of Jamaica takes the safety and protection of life at sea very seriously,” said Rear Admiral (ret'd) Peter Brady, director general of the MAJ.

“Passengers must be watchful for possible danger and boat owners and drivers alike, must consider highly enough their own safety and that of their passengers, and take every precaution when transporting passengers,” added Brady, as he outlined some guidelines with which individuals steering passenger- carrying vessels (coxswains) must comply.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia has concluded its participation in the 25th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) held in Kingston, Jamaica.