The Shipping Association of Jamaica is 85!

OFFICIALS FROM the maritime and transport sectors joined the members, staff and well-wishers of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) to celebrate 85 years of existence at the St Peter’s Anglican Church in Port Royal on Sunday, January 28. The occasion marked the first of a series of year-long activities to commemorate the association’s anniversary.

SAJ President Corah Ann Robertson-Sylvester, in remarks to attendees, said the day was one for reflection and to share the association’s gratitude with those who have contributed to its growth.

“From its humble origins as a response to uncertainties and disruptions on the Kingston waterfront, the SAJ has emerged as a driving force for change,” Robertson-Sylvester said, adding, “Our journey has been one of evolution that saw us move from bargaining agent to an employer of waterfront labour, operator of security services, provider of essential computer services, port development planner, landlord, and representative of various interests. This organisational development has made the SAJ a dynamic operational and commercial force.”

Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) Vice-President, and the SAJ’s immediate past president, William Brown, thanked the SAJ for its role in the formation of the CSA, and its long-standing “backing that has bolstered the development of the CSA as the ‘voice of the Caribbean shipping industry’.”

Professor Gordin Shirley, president of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), congratulated the SAJ on its rich legacy of support to the local industry, noting that both organisations have worked closely together since the PAJ’s establishment in 1972.

The proceedings were led by liturgist and preacher Reverend Father Barrington Jones, with readings from the SAJ’s operations manager – member services, Dionne Mason-Gordon, and retired port worker Wongsetta Edwards.

Among the attendees at the service were Custos Rotulorum for Kingston Steadman Fuller; Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady; Sacha Vaccianna-Riley, executive director of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica; as well as members of the SAJ, representatives of its managing committee, management, and staff.