Head of Maritime Authority re-elected to chair International Maritime Sub Committee

Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Rear Admiral Peter Brady, has been re-elected for 2012 to chair the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Sub Committee of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The election took place at the 42nd session of the STW Sub Committee at the IMO headquarters, in London, on January 27.

The IMO's Sub Committee deals with rulemaking and legislation relating to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention (STCW) and STCW Code which was amended last year at a Diplomatic Conference in the Philippines.

Rear Admiral Brady was nominated by the Philippines, seconded by Chile and  supported by member States, including India, Malta, Marshall Islands, Panama, Singapore, South Africa, the United States of America, Spain, The Bahamas, Mexico, Ghana, Indonesia. He was elected unanimously by the meeting, which had over 400 delegates from member States party to the STCW Convention, Associate members, intergovernmental organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Rear Admiral Brady said his re-election was a great honour. “I thank you for electing me once again and I do so while expressing great pride on behalf of my country, Jamaica, and indeed the remainder of the Caribbean Region,” he said.

The STCW Convention provides international minimum standards for the training and certification of the world's seafarers. The draft amendments to the Convention and Code mark the first major revision of the two instruments since those adopted in 1995, which completely revised the original 1978 Convention and introduced the Code.

It is expected that with these revisions, global standards will be instituted to train and certify seafarers to operate technologically advanced vessels and to adjust to other changes in the seafaring profession.

Vivienne Siva

JISInformation Attache

Jamaican High Commission

London