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Maritime Authority of Jamaica hosts national workshop

Published:Sunday | May 27, 2018 | 12:00 AM
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Renee Moilanen, manager of air quality practices at the Port of Long Beach making her presentation at the National Workshop.
Guiselle Aldrete, Environmental Consultant of Starcrest Consulting Group making her presentation at the National Workshop.
Marcus Blake, Marine Surveyor at the Maritime Authority of Jamaica making his presentation at the National Workshop.
Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Brady, director general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica gave the opening remarks at the National Workshop on the Prevention and Control of Shipping and Port Air Emissions, held in Jamaica.
Participants at the National Workshop on the Prevention and Control of Shipping and Port Air Emissions, held in Jamaica from May 1-3. Seated (left to right): Omar Walker, safety and security manager at Kingston Wharves Limited; Renee Moilanen, manager of air quality practices at the Port of Long Beach; Guiselle Aldrete, environmental consultant of Starcrest Consulting Group; Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Brady, director general, Maritime Authority of Jamaica. First row standing left to right: Glenroy Scott, Nicole O’Reggio, Sophia Johnson, Lanna Peart, Fayona Lewis, Crystal Smalling, Katherine Blackman, Althea Harvey Haughton, Claudette Hill. Second row, standing (left to right): Vannessia Stewart, Ryan Royal, Kamar Stewart, Dr Leonardo Clarke, Sheldon Clarke, Stephen Haughton, Bert Smith, Delando Grant, Marcus Blake, Dieno Campbell, Itrisha Nunes, Stewart Panton, Camille Campbell, Damion McKenzie, Christopher Gayle.
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The Maritime Authority of Jamaica, as the Lead Agency under the GloMEEP Project, hosted a national workshop on the Prevention and Control of Shipping and Port Air Emissions on May 1-3, 2018. Rear Admiral (Ret'd) Peter Brady, director general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, in his opening remarks at the three-day workshop, said, "This national workshop is a landmark event, not just in terms of the International Maritime Organi-zation's (IMO) work, but also, more significantly, in the journey of shipping and its related industries towards a low-carbon future."

Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships (GloMEEP) is a Global Environment Facility - United Nations Development Pro-gramme-International Maritime Organization (GEF-UNDP-IMO) project aimed at supporting the uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency measures for shipping, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from shipping.

Jamaica and other small island developing states depend heavily on port operations for imports and exports as shipping accounts for 90% of goods moved globally. Some 93% of Jamaica's foreign trade is conducted via shipping.

The national workshop was timely as it gave much-needed attention to the shipping sector's contribution to climate change. There is a clear link between port air emissions and climate change. Port operations also have an important potential impact on the health of users of the ports as well as persons who live near the ports.

The GloMEEP Project has launched a workshop package, developed in collaboration with the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), on the "prevention and control of shipping and port air emissions". Jamaica will benefit from this strategic partnership, which aims to train participants in how to undertake a port air emissions assessment, thereby gaining a better understanding of different source categories in ports, and how to quantify these. It also provides training on the development of strategies for the reduction of air emissions in ports.

Jamaica is one of 10 Lead Pilot Countries and the only country in the Caribbean selected to participate in the GloMEEP Project, and the workshop was the second in this series. The first was held in April 2018 in China, which is also a Lead Pilot Country.

There was a diversity of perspectives at the national workshop in Jamaica as attendees were from the Port Authority of Jamaica, the Shipping Association of Jamaica, the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, National Environment Planning Association. Tertiary institutions in attendance included the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Maritime University.

The workshop delivered on the regulatory framework for prevention of pollution in ports, port emissions assessment, port emissions reduction strategy development, among other things, which will enable Jamaica to integrate maritime transport into its national climate change strategy and national emissions policy.

The workshop material will be used to form policies and programmes, and Jamaica, as a Lead Pilot Country, will transfer this knowledge gained throughout the Caribbean and other regions.

 

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The workshop was facilitated by international consultants Guiselle Aldrete, environmental consultant of Starcrest Consulting Group, and Renee Moilanen, manager of air quality practices at the Port of Long Beach; and national consultant Marcus Blake, marine surveyor of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.

"The workshop has served to create an acute awareness among many partners in the maritime industry in Jamaica and particularly among persons engaged in diverse activities in our ports. Before this, our thoughts were concentrated more on emissions from ships only, and now, we are more sensitised to the contribution to GHGs by activities in the ports, including cargo-handling equipment such as forklifts, container cranes, and straddle carriers," said Rear Admiral (Ret'd) Peter Brady.

The Maritime Authority of Jamaica, as the National Lead Agency under the GloMEEP Project, hosted the workshop with the support of Kingston Wharves Limited and the Port Authority of Jamaica.