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Female maritime industry leaders in Grand Cayman for historic conference

Published:Sunday | September 4, 2016 | 12:00 AM
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International Maritime Organisation representative Pamela Tansey (fourth left) is pictured with WiMA’s governing council, from left: Dwynette Eversley, first vice-president, Trinidad and Tobago; Claudia Grant, president; Vivette Grant, third vice-president; Deniece Aiken, policy officer, Jamaica; Tosca Pinas, treasurer, Suriname and Karen Mullings, second vice-president.
A section of the audience at the Montego Bay conference held last year.
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A delegation of Jamaican female maritime industry professionals is attending a landmark conference hosted by the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands. They are participating in the inaugural Conference of the Women in Maritime Association, Caribbean, (WiMAC), which is being held under the theme 'WiMAC - Charting the course for generations of women'.

The conference is being facilitated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and WiMAC, with the support of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association Cayman Islands.

WiMAC is one of several regional associations of women who work in the maritime and allied sectors and has been established as a proactive advocacy network following on the global programme on the Integration of Women in the Maritime Sector of the IMO.

The immediate objective of the conference is to shape a strategic and developmental regional agenda that aligns with WiMAC's mission to foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry within the Caribbean region.

The conference will consider current and emerging development trends that affect different areas and subsectors in the maritime sphere and will focus on deliberations in the context of women's rights and access that influence their economic participation, professional development, and wellbeing in the maritime sector.

 

SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES

 

The conference will also provide a forum for the sharing of career experiences of women working in the industry across the region. The participants are also expected to benefit from global experiences and advancements shared by a range of strategic partner agencies that can be used to inform gender-sensitive standards and strategic directions.

The Jamaican delegation, comprising representatives from the port and maritime authorities, the Shipping Association of Jamaica, the terminal operators and private shipping companies will also be able to take advantage of significant opportunities to network with their regional counterparts at the conference, which began yesterday at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort and wraps on September 9.

Conference facilitators and speakers include representatives from the IMO, the International Labour Organisation, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the US Coast Guard, the North American Marine Environment Protection Association, the National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago, the World Maritime University, the Port Authority of Jamaica, the Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate, the Belize Port Authority, Tropical Shipping, and Transas Marine Limited.

WiMAC was officially launched in Montego Bay in April 2015 during an international conference mounted by the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.