To foster closer collaboration in the continued development of the CMOU, the Chairman of the CMOU, Mr. Dwight C.R. Gardiner of Antigua and Barbuda, has continued the programme of visiting the Member States of the CMOU. Upon the heels on his recent visit to Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, the Chairman only just completed visiting the Bahamas, Belize and the Cayman Islands.

Mr. Gardiner made his initial stop in the Bahamas on February 9, 2010 where he took the opportunity to attend the opening day of the Bahamas International Maritime Conference and Trade Show which was held in Freeport from February 9 – 12, 2010. In addition, the Chairman was able to meet with the new Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA), Commodore Davy Rolle where by Mr. Gardiner expressed congratulations on his appointment on behalf of the CMOU.

The Chairman also discussed the possibility of the Bahamas hosting the 2nd Annual PSC Seminar in April of this year and expressed his thanks to the Government of the Bahamas for their continued support of the CMOU and its objectives.

The Chairman then proceeded to Belize as the second stop on his trip where he met with the new Ports Commissioner of the Belize Port Authority (BPA), Major (ret’d) JMA Flowers on February 12, 2010. During this meeting, Mr. Gardiner advised Major Flowers of certain procedural issues that were required for Belize to comply with the CMOU. The Chairman was assured that these matters would be finalized and an official correspondence sent to the CMOU at the soonest.

 

Mr. Gardiner expressed congratulations to Mr. Flowers on his recent appointment as the new Ports Commissioner and that the CMOU continued to look forward to working with Belize as the newest Member of the CMOU.

The third stop for the Chairman was to the Cayman Islands on February 16, 2010 to meet with Mr. Joel Walton, JP, Chief Executive Officer of the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands (MACI). He thanked Mr. Walton for the hosting of the CMOU’s 1st Annual PSC Seminar as well as the continued support of MACI and the Government of the Cayman Islands to the activities of the CMOU. Mr. Walton then advised that MACI would be most gracious to host the 2nd Annual PSC Seminar in the Cayman Islands again during the month of July.

The Chairman advised that this would be discussed with the BMA who had indicated an interest in hosting and that it would be confirmed at the soonest.

 

 

The Secretariat will be again contacting the Member States in the near future to make arrangements for the continued visits of the Chairman.