Claudia Grant gets new appointment - Deputy director general elected chair of Implementation of IMO Instruments subcommittee

Claudia Grant, deputy director general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), was elected chairman of the Sub Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III) during the 5th session of the subcommittee held from September 24-28, 2018, in London.

This is quite an attainment as last year, she was elected vice-chair to the same Sub Committee at the 4th session held in London, September 2017.

This election is timely, as this year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) celebrates its 70th year since the IMO Convention was adopted and 60 years since it entered into force. It brings recognition to Jamaica and the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, and, shows Jamaica's commitment to implementation of the IMO conventions and regulations.

This is welcome news for Jamaica, the Caribbean, the Ministry of Transport and Mining, and the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, which is the focal point for the IMO in Jamaica.

Becoming chairman of III Sub Committee is a personal milestone for Grant and speaks to the work of the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC), which she has served as president since the association's inception in 2015. WiMAC was launched in April 2015 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization, with membership from 16 Caribbean countries.

Grant is an experienced maritime professional who has been involved in the maritime industry in the Caribbean for nearly three decades. A graduate of the University of the West Indies and the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden, she has worked at the regional level with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, where she had responsibility for proposing and overseeing the implementation of policies and projects for the sustainable development of maritime transportation in the member states of the region.

Grant spearheaded the establishment of the MAJ, the country's maritime administration. She led the team which implemented the ISO Quality Management System at the MAJ in 2004. The Authority remains ISO certified having graduated to ISO 9001:2015.

Wealth of Experience

Her wealth of experience covers the regulatory, policy and operational spheres of the industry having worked in ports, maritime administration and at the policy level, regionally and nationally.

To meet the IMO deadline in 1998, Grant successfully managed the project unit at the Ministry of Transport, charged with the responsibility for developing systems, procedures and legislation for implementing the IMO revised Convention governing the training and certification of seafarers.

In 2011, she participated in the inaugural Maritime Public Leaders Programme hosted by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Since 2016, Grant has participated in the conduct of audits under the IMO Member State Audit Scheme. The mandatory audit of all member states commenced on January 1, 2016, with the aim of determining the extent to which they fully and completely effect their obligations and responsibilities contained in a number of IMO treaty instruments.

Grant brings a wealth of knowledge to the position as Chairman of III. At the fifth session of the III subcommittee, her election was proposed by France and seconded by Argentina with full support from the floor. Grant said: "I am humbled and elated to be elected chairman of this very important Committee, which carries out the work of the International Maritime Organization of which Jamaica is a member state. I am grateful for the confidence placed in Jamaica by member States and for the support and encouragement I received from Rear Admiral (Ret'd) Peter Brady. This is indeed a historic achievement for Jamaica and the Caribbean.

"Representation at III sessions, affords Jamaica and the Caribbean the opportunity for networking with other flag states - developed and developing - thereby gaining greater understanding of the issues and participating in the process which determines standards that will affect ship operations. I am happy to be serving my country, my region and my company."

Implementation of IMO Instruments (III)

The IMO's III Sub Committee reports to the Maritime Safety Committee and the Marine Environment Protection Committee and is the medium by which the IMO assists flag states, especially the newer less experienced ones, to improve their systems and capacity to implement the various IMO Conventions, Codes and Guidelines. The subcommittee's mandate was recently broadened from its focus on flag-state implementation to also embrace port and coastal state obligations.