Successful General Council meeting in Fort Lauderdale

The General Council of the Caribbean Shipping Association had its first meeting of the year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 16 January.

This was the first time that the new General Council had met in an official capacity since being elected at the CSA’s Annual General Meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad in October 2016. Consequently, this was also the first General Council meeting attended by the newest members of the Executive – Group D chairman Martin Medina and Tom Paelink – who were elected at the Trinidad AGM.

President David Jean-Marie said: “This year, for the first time in a long time, the General Council meeting was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is a change from the traditional venue in Kingston, Jamaica, where the Secretariat has its offices. We are happy to say that it was quite a productive meeting with key decisions being taken which will guide the operations of the Association for the rest of the year.”

The council focused on upcoming CSA events, including the various training courses being offered to its membership and plans for the 2017 Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference, to be held in Curaçao in May.

Logistics experts welcome CSA study program with KWL

Recognised as the Caribbean’s leading multipurpose terminal, Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) was again chosen to host the Caribbean Shipping Association's Exchange Study Program, held from 20 to 24 February, in which eight shipping and logistics professionals from across the region took part.

The CSA study tour is held each year to expose members to best practices in terminal operations across the region. Presentations were made on subjects including port security, logistics management, information technology and health and safety. In addition, the participants were taken on a tour of the Caribbean Maritime Institute to underscore the importance of training to the continued growth of the shipping sector. Dr Fritz Pinnock, executive director of the CMI, gave a presentation on the history of shipping in Jamaica.

In addition to an insider's view of the multipurpose operations at KWL, the group was taken on a tour of the Falmouth cruise ship pier while two of the world’s largest cruise ships, ‘Allure of the Seas’ and ‘Independence of the Seas’, were in port. Guided by pier manager Mark Hylton, this tour gave participants some useful insights into the task of terminal management. "The team at Kingston Wharves works overtime to ensure the continued growth of the company,” said Grantley Stephenson, CEO. “It is the hard work that garners for us accolades from our various stakeholders, which has positioned us to be chosen the second year in a row for this program. We are only too willing to share with our fellow partners from across the region.” Participant Sudarmo Toby, assistant operations officer with the Port Authority of St Vincent and the Grenadines, thanked the program organisers and said how invaluable the experience had been to network among shipping industry leaders and to share best practices with his peers across the region. He said that the knowledge garnered in Kingston would be crucial in his country’s plan to develop a world-class terminal.

For completing the week-long program, participants received certification from the CMI as well as Sensitization and Awareness Certification in the ISPS Code.

KWL has been named the leading Caribbean multipurpose facility six times since 2006. It provides a broad range of cargo handling and logistics services with connections to over 20 international ports in the Caribbean, Latin and North America.

Transshipment logistics services is the major growth sector for the company as it provides just-in-time services to a number of clients. Höegh Autoliners has appointed KWL as the regional hub for motor vehicles being transshipped through the region.