Jamaica’s seafarer training expertise is helping to shape the overhaul of global rules governing the maritime workforce, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Mr Arsenio Dominguez has said during an official visit to the country.

Addressing cadets and maritime professionals at the Caribbean Maritime University’s (CMU) main campus at Palisadoes Park on Tuesday, 28 July, Mr Dominguez recognised Jamaica’s active contribution to the comprehensive review of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and its accompanying STCW Code.

Phase one of the review identified more than 400 gaps in the existing framework. The work addresses the impact of digitalisation, automation and emerging technologies on shipboard operations, alongside cybersecurity, mental health, psychological safety, violence and harassment, and gender and cultural diversity.

Mr Dominguez’s wider programme in Jamaica from 26 to 30 July includes attendance at the 31st Session of the International Seabed Authority Assembly, engagement with seafarers, visits to Kingston Wharves Limited and Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited, and a reception marking the 25th anniversary of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), the focal point of the IMO and the 30th anniversary of the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control.

The visit takes place as Jamaica marks 50 years of IMO membership and reflects the country’s continuing contribution to international maritime regulation and the representation of the interests of Caribbean and Small Island Developing States.

IMO Secretary-General Mr Arsenio Dominguez said: “Jamaica is very active in the STCW review. You have a great deal of experience and expertise that IMO is aware of and relies on. Technology outpaces the way that we regulate. By the time we finish, if we are too specific about particular technologies, they may already be outdated.”

Mr Bertrand Smith, Director General of the MAJ, added: “The Secretary-General’s recognition of Jamaica’s expertise is especially meaningful as we mark 50 years of IMO membership. It demonstrates that sustained technical engagement enables Small Island Developing States to influence the rules governing international shipping. The Maritime Authority of Jamaica will remain actively involved in the STCW review, helping to ensure the revised framework keeps pace with technological change while keeping seafarers at the heart of shipping.”