Jamaica Commemorates 50 Years of IMO Membership

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, has reaffirmed Jamaica’s unwavering commitment to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), emphasising that the maritime sector stands as the backbone of the global supply chain, whether for daily use or in times of emergencies and disasters.

She was delivering the keynote address during the opening ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s membership in the IMO, hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in downtown Kingston on Tuesday (May 12).

The event was held under the theme ‘Jamaica and the IMO: 50 Years Advancing Safe, Secure and Sustainable Shipping’.

“For 50 years, the IMO has been a platform through which Jamaica has contributed, learned, and led. As we look ahead, our resolve is unchanged – to champion the interests of small island developing states and the value of multilateralism, to uphold global maritime standards, and to protect our shared oceans. May the next 50 years of Jamaica’s partnership with the IMO be marked by collaboration, innovation, and sustainable progress for all,” Senator Johnson Smith stated.

The Minister highlighted several of Jamaica’s achievements since formally presenting its Instrument of Acceptance to the IMO Convention on May 11, 1976.

These include the establishment of the Jamaica Maritime Training Institute – now the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) – in partnership with the Kingdom of Norway in 1980.

It remains the only IMO-accredited tertiary institution in the English-speaking Caribbean, offering a wide range of degree programmes.

Another significant milestone was the passage of the Shipping Act in 1998, which modernised Jamaica’s maritime legislation and established the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) as the primary agency responsible for regulating the shipping sector and implementing IMO conventions.

Additionally, in 2002, the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control was relocated to Jamaica, a move that has advanced maritime administrations across the region by strengthening port state oversight, encouraging member states to uphold international conventions, and driving the elimination of substandard shipping.

“We have ratified and implemented the principal IMO Conventions governing maritime safety, security, pollution prevention and labour standards, supported by a strong legal and administrative framework. Jamaica’s active international involvement has facilitated deliberate and strategic maritime progress both locally and regionally,” Minister Johnson Smith said.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Kedesha Campbell Rochester, underscored the critical importance of Jamaica’s maritime transportation.

She noted that more than 80 per cent of the nation’s imports and exports are carried by sea, including energy supplies, motor vehicles, essential commodities, and raw materials that sustain both the manufacturing and export sectors.

Mrs. Campbell Rochester highlighted the vital role of the IMO and Jamaica’s implementation of its conventions, which preserve the safety and security of shipping while preventing marine and atmospheric pollution caused by ships.

“For island states such as Jamaica, whose prosperity is deeply tied to the blue economy, a safe, secure and sustainable maritime transport system founded on international standards is not optional but essential,” she maintained.

The Permanent Secretary emphasised Jamaica’s commitment to IMO standards, noting that the Ministry is actively revising the National Transport Policy (NTP) to align with these global benchmarks.