Past Presidents

Last Updated on 30 October 2020

Serving the CSA with distinction

Over the last 50 years and since the formation of the Caribbean Shipping Association, there have been a total of 18 Presidents, including the current office holder. Each has made a major contribution to the Association’s on-going success and worked tirelessly to broaden its appeal and to expand its influence – both within the region and beyond.

From what was an organization largely established to address changes being made to modernize Caribbean ports and tackle simmering dock-labor issues, the Association has matured and grown. Today, the CSA is faced with the twin threats posed by marine pollution and the devastating impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the region's cruise shipping sector and on the economies of those islands heavily reliant on the spending generated by passengers.

So, while the golden jubilee is indeed a time for much celebration it’s also one tempered by the fact the Caribbean faces some major challengers and has had to postpone its Fiftieth AGM until 2021. Nevertheless, the CSA – as has been the case in the past and thanks to the stewardship of many eminent former presidents, including the incumbent Juan Carlos Croston – is well placed to steer the Association through these troubled waters.

Here is a look back at all 17 former presidents of the CSA.

Peter Evelyn

1971-3 and 1976-78 Jamaica

The Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) owes its very existence to the work, foresight and leadership of Jamaica’s Peter Evelyn who would become its first president.

Peter led the steering committee which developed the plans for a Caribbean Shipping Association. And, on October 19, 1971 shipping executives met in Nassau and made the idea of the CSA a reality. It was at this inaugural gathering that the representatives from these 12 countries honored Peter for his pioneering work by electing him the CSA’s Founding President.

Today, the Association is recognized as the authentic voice of the Caribbean shipping industry. This is Peter Evelyn’s legacy.

Born in Kingston in 1930, Peter began his maritime-related career at Lascelles de Mercardo Shipping in 1949. He later became vice-president of Seaboard Marine Jamaica.

Peter was also president (1972-73) of the Shipping Association of Jamaica.

Peter sadly died aged 76 in 2007 shortly after becoming an honorary life member of the CSA.

Michael Blackman

1973-4 Trinidad & Tobago

Michael Blackman, from Trinidad and Tobago, was one of the Founders of the CSA and an early president of the Association. Michael, along with first president Peter Evelyn, Stanley Chapman and Peter Parker of Barbados and Roy Mendes of Antigua, brought into reality the idea of a regional body to promote the business of the shipping industry.

This is what fellow CSA President David Harding had to say about the Association’s founding fathers in general and Michael in particular: “And while I recognized the enormous value to Caribbean Shipping that resided within these heavy hitters, it was in 1982 when I truly appreciated the worth of Michael Blackman. At that time, he was given the responsibility of creating a training platform within the CSA and the first such training seminar was held in Barbados. His continued management of this set the high bar for the development of the CSA members.”

Michael Blackman was one of the recipients of the CSA 25th Anniversary Medal. This ceremony occurred during the AGM held in Barbados in 1995. In 2006 in Panama, Michael was made an honorary life member of the CSA along with Luddy Stewart, Peter Evelyn and Noel Hylton. Alvin Henry had previously become the CSA’s first honorary life member.

Peter Parker

1974-76 Barbados

Captain Peter Parker, a Barbadian, came back to the Caribbean after a deep-sea shipping career. During the mid-1950s he captained the small inter-island cargo ship ‘Coralita’ operated by his employer, Bridgetown-based Da Costa & Co.

Prior to construction of the Deep Water Harbor, ships arriving in Barbados anchored in Carlisle Bay and had their cargo and passengers transported to the wharf by lighters. But in 1961 the Barbados Deep Water Harbour was completed and Peter was offered and accepted the position of general manager of Port Contractors (Barbados). This was the operation responsible for the receiving, storing and delivery of freight landed from general cargo ships (containers did not come to Barbados until the mid-1970s) and he held this post until 1979.

When this company morphed into the Barbados Port Authority, Peter became its first CEO and remained in that position until his retirement in 1981. Peter is today credited with the modernization of Barbados Port.

He was also the recipient of the CSA 25th Anniversary Medal presented in Barbados in 1995. Peter attended Barbados Port Inc’s 50th Anniversary Staff Awards in 2011 and it’s good to know that he is still alive and well.

Michael J. Lohan

1978-81 Bermuda

It’s perhaps surprising today to learn that a Former President of the CSA hailed from Bermuda. This reflects Bermuda’s early and highly active role in the creation of the Association, but one that has somewhat diminished over recent years.

Michael spent his working life at Stevedoring Services in Hamilton and first became involved in the CSA via his position as secretary of the Bermuda Shipping Association.

During his time as president, Michael was a strong believer in regional integration and says that presiding over an Association that increased in diversity, membership and influence throughout the region were the achievements of which he is most proud. He named Michael Blackman, Peter Evelyn, Peter Parker, Luis Ayala and Alvin Henry as among those he most admired during his time with the Association. Like many other early presidents, Michael was one of the recipients of the CSA 25th Anniversary Medal in Barbados in 1995.

Michael told Caribbean Maritime: "I offer my congratulations to the Caribbean Shipping Association on its 50th Anniversary. I feel a great sense of pride in the fact that the Association is continuing to provide advice and service to the region. It is a truly indicative of the generous time and efforts put in by so many people in bygone years in laying a solid foundation.

Sad to say, Michael has not attended a CSA meeting since the late 1990s and retired from Stevedoring Services in 2001. He is alive and well and living in Bermuda.

Ludlow Stewart

1981-84 Jamaica

The late Ludlow “Luddy” Stewart was born in September 1931 and started work with the United Fruit Company in 1957. By 1972 he had made his way up to become the company’s freight manager.

It’s generally accepted that Luddy was one of the greatest CSA Presidents of all time and much admired by all those who knew him. It was said that the only things that outmatched his dapper and debonair appearance were his integrity, professionalism, discipline, and service.

Luddy was the longest-serving president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica, having served seven years in three separate periods. At the time of his death, he was chairman of the Joint Industrial Council for the Port of Kingston, a body in which unions and management of the shipping industry meet monthly to ensure the continuation of good industrial relations in the sector. He was considered one of the foremost experts on Jamaican shipping affairs, having served the industry for over 40 years. During his active years in the shipping industry, he received the following accolades: honorary harbour master of the Port of New Orleans, CSA Silver Club member and the Order of Distinction of Jamaica.

Luddy died in December 2010 aged 79 and shortly after bravely attending the CSA’s AGM in Paramaribo and at a time when he was clearly very frail.

Luis A. Ayala-Parsi

1984-85 Puerto Rico

Unlike almost all other CSA Presidents, Puerto Rico’s Luis A. Ayala-Parsi only served for a short period.

Luis has had a distinguished career spanning six decades forged at the highest levels of local and international maritime trade. He began working in the company as Operations Manager in 1960, and following the death of his father in 1965, took over as president. He is President of the Board of Directors and has been CEO of the company since 1988.

“Don Luis”, as he is usually called, has always been a ‘Ponceño’ (a son of Ponce), committed to the social and economic development of this city and of Puerto Rico.His professional career clearly demonstrates it. He has held the positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and has been a member of the board of directors of firms such as Empire Company, Ayala Warehouse, Multi Terminal Operators, and Seahorse Marine Corp, as well as director of Banco de Ponce, Director of Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Agencias Navemar de Puerto Rico.

He has held similar positions in local and international companies: president of the Board of Sea Barge Line, Container Terminal Corp, and AP Properties, and in organizations such as the Ponce School of Medicine, the Ponce Free Trade Zone, the Puerto Rico Pilot Commission, the Ponce and Southern Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce as well as Rotary International.

His direct involvement at the highest levels of prominent local, regional, and international maritime associations for over thirty years have been remarkable. He was co-founder and President of the Puerto Rico Shipping Association, Vice-President and President of the Caribbean Shipping Association, and President for the Western Hemisphere Section of the General Stevedoring Council. In 1970, he co-founded the Puerto Rico Chapter, Ponce Chapter of the United States Propeller Club, which he presided from 1971 through 1973.

Luis was appointed Honorary Vice-Consul of Norway from 1973 through 1975. In 1975, he became Consul of Norway for the South and Southwest Regions of Puerto Rico, a position he held until 2018. At the beginning of the 1980s, he was appointed member to the President’s District Export Council. He also served as member of the National Maritime Safety Association and the Board of Directors of the National Association of Stevedores during the 1990’s.

Luis A. Ayala-Parsi lives in Ponce, Puerto Rico with his wife María Teresa-Bennazar: They have one son, Luis Arturo Ayala-Bennazar, and three grandchildren.

Ernest Girod

1985-88 Jamaica

Ernest Girod was from Clarendon, Jamaica and he started work as a time-keeper with Grace, Kennedy Stevedoring in 1951. He was the first man to rise from the ranks and become Chairman of the SAJ. After GK Stevedoring was renamed Port Services Ltd, Ernest constantly moved up the corporate ladder by dint of hard work, a quick mind and ability to visualise and organise improvements on the waterfront.

He was involved in the disputes over the use of pallets, forklifts and several other labour issues. From 1969 he was a member of the managing committee of the SAJ and he served two terms as chairman 1976-1978 and 1983-1984. He was managing director of Kingston Wharves from 1981-1994, and in that capacity had served as chairman of the CSA and the North American section of the General Stevedoring Council. Ernest supervised the transfer of the SAJ headquarters to the Kingport Building in 1975/1976. His years of service were rough, as cargo deliveries were reduced, even though a five-week-long strike by US longshoremen eased the crisis in 1976.

In his second term, he guided the celebrations of 1982 when the Jamaican state had its 20th birthday.

George Noon

1988-91 St Lucia

The late George Noon is St Lucia’s only President of the CSA. Softley spoken, George was a man of consensus and during his presidency he worked tirelessly to ensure unanimity among CSA members as the shipping sector transitioned during his presidency to new technologies. He made a significant contribution to the Association’s growth and development and gave his time, energy and goodwill to its membership. George was a leading member of the Rotary Club of St Lucia (he was president 1973-4), the Insurance Council of St Lucia and the shipping group of the St Lucia Employers’ Federation. He also led the St Lucia Shipping Association for 20 years. George died in 2010.

Frank Wellnitz

1991-94 Germany

Frank Wellnitz is the only CSA president to have been born outside the region.

As Hapag-Lloyd’s regional representative, Frank attended his first CSA meeting in Miami in 1975. He recognized the CSA as an important forum to address Caribbean maritime and related issues, focusing on the Caribbean people. He became a member.

Over the years and due to shifting sides from vessel owner to vessel agent, more than once, he has been member of the council representing vessel owners and shipping agents. As vessel owner he was able to recognize agency concerns and vice-versa as an agent.

In 1988 at a meeting in Jamaica he was elected CSA vice president, subsequently in 1991, in Martinique he was elected president. During that same meeting he was the rapporteur of a symposium on The Future of Caribbean Maritime Transportation.

As Immediate Past President he became steering committee chairman and founding member of the Silver Club. His passion was the education of young people and to financially support and grow an ongoing training program. He and like-minded colleagues established a training trust fund and up until 2015 he was its chairman.

It was the CSA, which was instrumental in forming and supporting Frank in his career moves and it was here where he needed to ‘sell’ the idea of his ‘ship driver’ concept – the basis for Caribbean Feeder Services.

In October 2016 during an AGM in Port of Spain the CSA presented him with a Citation.

G. Ainsley Morris

1994-1997 Jamaica

Gladstone Ainsley Morris Ainsley was president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica in 1991. In 1972 and in conjunction with Vance Lannaman (who passed away in 2017), Ainsley set up Lannaman & Morris (Shipping) which today handles around 70 per cent of all cruise ships calling Jamaican ports and represents lines responsible for around 15% of the island’s seafreight. The company also manages the Ocho Rios cruiseship terminal. The company was sold in 1997.

Harry Maragh, who took over Lannaman & Morris said: "From its beginning in 1972, the company was a force to be reckoned with in the shipping industry. The company was unique in that here were two gentlemen – Vance Lannaman and Ainsley Morris – one very versed on the cargo side and the other a true professional in handling cruise vessels, a rare combination that made this company a real success."

Now in his late eighties, Ainsley has lived in Lauderhill, Florida, for many years and still takes an active interest in the Caribbean’s maritime sector.

David Harding

1997-2000 Barbados

David L Harding started his career in shipping at the age of 18 in the shipping department of Da Costa & Musson and as a boarding agent. After two years of training, he became a master stevedore with H.V. King Stevedoring in 1972 and began stevedoring ships for Geest Line.

In 1986 he went on to open his own business, Sea Freight Agencies (Barbados), which represented carriers such as Geest Line, Ivaran Lines and ABC International Freight. Sea Freight Agencies (Barbados) Ltd was sold in 2010 after 24 years of business.

In 1981 David was a founding member of The Shipping Association of Barbados. David is also founder and chairman of Caribbean International Freight & Logistics Inc.

In terms of the Association, he was also at the forefront of bringing the CSA into cyberspace and in December 1998 the CSA had its first email connection. And during his Presidency, the CSA enhanced its training platform by creating a strong relationship with Jamaica Maritime Institute (JMI) which today is the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU). Furthermore, he had a lead role in developing the CSA Exhibition that allowed equipment companies and service providers to exhibit during CSA AGMs. In 2012. David was awarded an MBE for his role in the field of shipping in Barbados.

David was chairman of Barbados Port Inc until 2018. He was appointed Honorary Consul for Chile in Barbados in 1996.

Rawle Baddaloo

2000-2003 Trinidad & Tobago

Captain Rawle Baddaloo came ashore in 1978 after a successful career in the British Merchant Navy serving worldwide on Texaco tankers until he became a Master Mariner.

He was then employed by Texaco Trinidad where he started off as a Shift Supervisor. He left Texaco Trinidad as Marine Superintendent in 1979 to start a career at greenfield project the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Ltd (PLIPDECO). He began as deputy port manager and left as President (Ag.). During his 28 years at PLIPDECO he was able to create a world-class port winning the Best Multi-Purpose Port in the Region on a number of occasions, and other accolades from the CSA. From 1987 to 1988 he attended the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden, and majored in Maritime Safety Administration (Nautical), obtaining a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Maritime Safety Administration. He was a founder member of the Nautical Institute Branch in Trinidad and Tobago as well as a member of the IAPH Executive and the Maritime Security Council.

Captain Baddaloo became active in the Shipping Association of Trinidad & Tobago (SATT) in 1980. He served on its executive council and was president for two terms, each lasting two years. He is an honorary Member of SATT. He then became involved with the Caribbean Shipping Association.

At CSA he has served as training director; Group B Representative; chairman of the CSA Committee on Regional Transport and President for three terms (2000-2003). He was made an honorary member of the CSA in October 2015.

In 1995 at its 25th AGM, the CSA established the Silver Club (those with meritorious service in the regional shipping industry for over 25 years). Captain Baddaloo is a founder member, an awardee and the current chairman of the Silver Club.

In February 2019 at the 18th Intergovernmental Meeting of the Action plan for the Caribbean Environment Program and the 15th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, a resolution was passed to contribute their talents to the work of the Caribbean Marine Environment Protection Association (CARIBMEPA) to Save our Seas.

CARIBMEPA was launched at the CSA meeting in May 2019 and Captain Baddaloo was asked to co-lead this very important initiative. Captain Baddaloo continues his work with CARIBMEPA and avails himself to the wider maritime fraternity for mentorship.

Fernando Rivera

2006-09 Puerto Rico

Fernando Rivera was born in Jayuya, Puerto Rico. He has worked for San Juan-based Harbor Bunkering since 1989 and has attended CSA AGMs since 1992.

Fernando cites a trio of key mentors during his time with the CSA – Ludlow Stewart, David Harding and Roland Malins Smith – and has the highest of regard for all three men, two of which were fellow Association presidents.

Following Fernando’s period of president, he cheerfully took on the demanding role as Association general manager and has worked closely with the Kingston-based Secretariat until his retirement earlier this year. (see separate story). Arguably, he has been the CSA’s most loyal servant.

Corah Ann Sylvester

2003-06 Jamaica

Jamaica’s Corah Ann Sylvester is the CSA’s first and, so far, only female president. Corah Ann started her shipping career as line manager at Kirk Line before being made its Sales and Marketing Manager and project manager for Coastal Shipping/Interseas. This was followed by a time as director of sales and marketing Jamaica Freight & Shipping. Since 2003, Corah Ann has been CEO at Seaboard Freight & Shipping Jamaica – a subsidiary of Miami-based Seaboard Marine.

Corah Ann’s many other positions include being a director of both the Shipping Association of Jamaica and Assessment Recoveries (ARL) and more recently chairperson of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) and board member of Kingston’s Advantum. During her chair of MAJ, Corah Ann has led Jamaica in two elections to a seat in Category C of the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 2017 and 2019. This was to champion the cause of the Caribbean region in keeping pace with developments in the maritime industry and environment. In addition, Corah Ann has previously served as director of the Port Authority of Jamaica and council member of the Caribbean Maritime University.

In 2000 she was elected the first female Vice-President of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) in New Orleans, USA. In 2003 she became the first female President of the CSA, serving from 2003-2006 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Corah Ann has thanked fellow CSA presidents Grantley Stephenson, David Harding and Rawle Baddaloo for their strong support. She says: “Tears still comes to my eyes when I think about that time. I was struggling against thinly disguised misogyny. Some of the things said to me were: ‘I had just had a baby, why was I pushing to become President’; ‘Why is a little lady like you running for president? Do you really think you can manage such a big responsibility?’Well, suffice it to say that these remarks did not deter me, they only made me stronger and the records shows the achievements of the CSA under my leadership.

“Rawle Baddaloo, a past president who supported me, said: “We had to break the glass ceiling,’ but I did not just break the glass ceiling in the Caribbean maritime world, I kicked it through.”

During her three-year presidency, Corah Ann’s achievements were many. But among the most notable were the successful regional implementation of ISPS, the creation of a port relief fund for hurricane-hit Grenada, encouraging smaller Caribbean states to establish shipping associations, the addition of an NVOCC group with the CSA and generally raising the international profile of the Association as its first female president.

Carlos Urriola

2009-2012 Panama

Carlos Urriola, an Industrial Systems Engineer who graduated from Mexico’s Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, is president of Carrix Inc-owned SSA International. He is responsible for overseeing marketing and customer contracts for all Carrix’s international container operations. He’s also responsible for regulatory affairs at Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT).

Carlos joined MIT in 1995 as its assistant vice-president of marketing. In 2003 he was promoted to general manager of MIT Panama and in 2011 was named SVP of Carrix Inc and named member of Carrix’s Executive Committee. He also serves as board member in the Carrix‘s joint ventures in Chile and Colombia. He has served as Executive Vice President of MIT since 2012. In 2017 he was promoted to President of SSA International and president of Manzanillo International Terminal Panama.

Carlos has served on numerous national and international trade and shipping organizations. He was President of the Maritime Chamber of Commerce of Panama 2001-2002 and was re-elected for a second term. He was president of the American Chamber of Commerce of Panama in 2006-2007 and also president of Junior Achievement for the period 2006-2007. From 2006-2009 he was Vice-President of the CSA and President in 2009-2012.

Grantley Stephenson

2012-15 Jamaica

Grantley holds a MBA from the University of the West Indies and is a graduate of Jamaica’s University of Technology and the UK’s University of Plymouth – an institution renowned for its maritime courses.

He was President of the Shipping Association of Jamaica 1998-2002. Grantley joined Kingston Wharves (KW) in 2003 as was responsible for the stevedore’s subsequent modernization and growth strategy. Universally admired and highly regarded, he had previously headed a number of shipping-related enterprises, including Seaboard Freight & Shipping Jamaica, Shipping Jamaica and Jamaica Merchant Marine.

He is twice a former Dean of the Consular Corps of Jamaica and the Honorary Consul General of the Kingdom of Norway. He has been awarded the Jamaican National Award of the Order of Distinction and the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. He is also a Fellow of the Jamaican Institute of Management.

Grantley stepped down from his executive role at KW in early 2020, but remains deputy chairman.

David Jean Marie

2015-18 Barbados

David Jean Marie is managing director of Barbados Port Inc (BPI) and was president of the CSA from 2015 To 2018.

David attained a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of New Haven and when he joined the staff of the then Barbados Port Authority in 1987 it was a public-sector organization with an old-style attitude to commerce and revenue.

Although the port authority was starting to see the benefits of computerization in the mid-1980s, the physical infrastructure and cargo handling equipment of Bridgetown Port were becoming out of date and inefficient.

David took over as head of BPI in 2012 and with a clear strategy to streamline operations, to contain costs, enhance revenue and build staff morale. He has been successful in all four of these ambitions.

Juan Carlos Croston

2018 to present, Panama

Panama’s Juan Carlos Croston is part of a new maritime generation and current CSA President. A nautical engineering graduate who later gained a Masters in Port Management from the World Maritime University in Malmö, Juan Carlos has been attending CSA meetings since 2005 and has worked for Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) since 2004. Juan Carlos started as a yard planner at MIT and is now vice-president of marketing and corporate affairs.

Juan Carlos served as CSA Vice- President for three years and before becoming President in 2018. During his time as Vice-President and President, Juan Carlos has been a major supporter of improved training and has greatly encouraged greater participation of women in the maritime sector.

He says: “I respect the CSA way because of what it represents: building bridges and taking care of our people. These are some of the same principles former CSA presidents and other senior members have shown that matters throughout all these years working with them. I have a great deal of respect for them, not only because of their ability to steer the CSA effectively throughout the past 50 years, but also because of their willingness to share their vision and wisdom, selflessly, with the next generation.”