Building Housing MAJ Corporate Office Being Illuminated with Lights to Mark World Maritime Day
By: , September 26, 2024
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
The Office Centre Building, which houses the corporate offices of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), illuminated with blue lights on World Maritime Day (WMD) 2023.The Full Story
The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) will join the rest of the world in recognising World Maritime Day (WMD) on Thursday, September 26, by illuminating the building housing the agency’s corporate office in downtown Kingston with blue floodlights.
The day is being recognised globally under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) theme ‘Navigating the Future : Safety First!’ Speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, MAJ Director General, Bertrand Smith, explained the rationale behind the decision to do the illumination.
“We will illuminate the Urban Development Corporation’s Office Centre Building, which houses the MAJ’s corporate office, in response to the IMO’s request to all Member States around the world to light up a building in blue to represent the oceans,” he said.
This will follow a WMD ceremony, during which Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, is expected to deliver remarks.
Mr. Smith added that an important aspect of that ceremony will be the recognition of the oldest seafarer in Jamaica, 91-year-old Richard Ramsay, for his contribution to the country’s shipping industry.
The MAJ will also host a webinar on World Maritime Day, titled: ‘Safety of Shipping Paramount Amidst Unprecedented Challenges’.
The presenters include Director of the School of Graduate Studies at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) and President of the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean, Dr. Evette Smith Johnson; Adjunct Lecturer in the Faculty of Marine Sciences at the CMU, Dr. Dave Muir, and Acting Manager, Topographic and Hydrographic Branch, National Land Agency, Diego Billings.
On Friday (September 27), the MAJ will collaborate with the CMU in their Maritime Mania event, being hosted at the university as a part of Maritime Awareness Week’s observance from September 23 to 27.
The MAJ team will engage students at the event to introduce them to the maritime sector.