The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) will release sky lanterns today (Thursday) in honour of seafarers across the world to celebrate World Maritime Day.
The Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC) is hosting a Sunset Cruise Reception that will tour around Kingston Harbour – the largest port in the country – to celebrate the special day.
The Honourable Minister of Transport and Mining, Michael Henry will bring greetings during the cruise, and guest speaker Grantley Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Wharves – the Caribbean’s leading multi-purpose port terminal and logistics provider – will address the attendees about the scope for a potential collaboration between Jamaica and Panama, consequent on the completion of the Panama Canal.
The event will be the culmination of Maritime Awareness Week, which began on Sunday (25 September), with a special church service and continued with port tours, exhibitions and lively demonstrations.
The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) chairs the committee that organises the week of activities that aims to increase awareness of the maritime sector and to bring focus to the critical link between shipping and the everyday lives of people in Jamaica and across the world.
MAJ Director General Rear Admiral Peter Brady (Ret’d) officially opened the event on Tuesday (27 September) with a welcome message to guests at an exhibition held at the Caribbean Maritime Institute.
He told guests: “Shipping affects us all and this year’s theme, chosen by the IMO – Shipping: Indispensable to the World, is to bring into sharp focus, the vital importance of shipping to economies of the world and people of the world. There is an inextricable link to shipping and people’s very existence. Jamaica’s sustainable economic development is dependent on shipping.”
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