September 29, 2016: The Ministry of Works and Transport, in its continuous efforts to position Trinidad and Tobago to take advantage of the economic benefits of the maritime sector, has placed as a priority on the Government’s Legislative Agenda, the modernisation and amendment of the Shipping Act, to make provision for the establishment of a Maritime Authority.
The Honourable Fitzgerald Hinds, M.P., Minister of Works and Transport, in delivering his Feature Address at the Annual Maritime Stakeholder Forum hosted by the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) on September 28 on the occasion of World Maritime Day, stated that a policy document for the amendment of the Act is currently before the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for consideration.
“This proposed institutional reform of maritime administration into a statutory authority is expected to have several benefits for the maritime industry. It is expected to improve the degree of autonomy, and provide for greater efficiency and effectiveness in the functions and operations of the maritime sector.
In addition, we are also placing emphasis on getting Trinidad and Tobago white list compliant for Operational and Management Level Certification of Seafarers,” he said.
Minister Hinds also recognised the need for the Government to push full speed ahead with its programme of diversification, with the Maritime sector being one key area identified for economic growth.
“To the end, the Maritime Services Division has developed a Strategic Maritime Spatial Planning Policy document for the Gulf of Paria. The goal of this policy document is to identify and recommend specific zones in the Gulf of Paria, to be utilized for the conduct of particular maritime activities. Some of the specific target areas include, transhipment, cold stacking, ship dry docking and repair, yachting infrastructure development, and the development of an open ship registry,” he said.
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ABOUT WORLD MARITIME DAY 2016
The World Maritime Day theme for 2016 is "Shipping: indispensable to the world". The theme was chosen to focus on the critical link between shipping and global society and to raise awareness of the relevance of the role of IMO as the global regulatory body for international shipping. The importance of shipping to support and sustain today's global society gives IMO's work a significance that reaches far beyond the industry itself.
For further information please contact:
The Corporate Communications Unit
Ministry of Works and Transport
868-625-1225 Ext. 10815