Captain Michael Belcher retires from KCT - Passes baton to Dwane Forrester

After more than five decades as one of the vital forces behind the development of Jamaican ports, Captain Michael Belcher, managing director of the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT), has retired from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), effective June 30, 2014. The baton has been passed to Dwane Forrester, former operations manager at the KCT, who assumes the role of deputy general manager and acting head of KCT on July 1, 2014.

The president and chief executive officer of the PAJ, Professor Gordon Shirley, in paying tribute to the maritime veteran's many decades of service to the shipping industry in Jamaica, said, "Captain Belcher's experience and professional expertise was integral to the successful operations at our ports, which moved from being simple finger piers to become a world-class facility that KCT is today."

He commended the captain for his dedication, professionalism, and his role in port management, which facilitated the move to super post-Panamax cranes, straddle cranes, and computerised yard and vessel-planning systems. He lauded the synergies which the master mariner brought to the sector, given his personal involvement in the enhancement of human resources and the technological transition of Jamaican ports.

Invaluable contributions

Captain Belcher played an integral role in upgrading the maritime skills of employees at the port during his years of service as a member of the managing committee of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) and, in 1984, was the first member of the SAJ to be named 'Shipping Personality of the Year', an honour bestowed by his peers which attested to his invaluable contribution to the growth in the sector and his ongoing drive to improve the human capacity in port operations.

Last Thursday, June 26, his services to the advancement of the shipping industry in Jamaica were officially recognised at a reception in his honour at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel, St Andrew, at which his shipping industry colleagues delivered tributes. Captain Belcher plans to return to his home in the Turks & Caicos islands.

Professor Gordon Shirley, in announcing Forrester's appointment to lead KCT, noted his more than two decades of port experience, having joined the PAJ in 1992 and served in several management positions, including that of senior control tower manager and process implementation manager, prior to being appointed operations manager in 2013.

Equipment pooling strategy

In that post, Forrester achieved a record of high productivity during one of the most challenging periods at KCT and implemented an equipment pooling strategy, which resulted in significant cost saving and efficiencies.

The acting general manager brings a wealth of port-management experience to his new position, having been one of the port's first SuperUsers in the Information Technology Division, and was personally responsible for designing the Vessel and Yard Planning methodology, using EDI technology and Active Server Page Programmes.

"Mr Forrester's competence, his grasp of new technologies and his ability to coach, mentor and motivate employees are highly regarded; and his personal passion for his profession is well known. He is a young leader in whom the KCT board and the executive team of the Port Authority of Jamaica have confidence and I am assured that, under his leadership, the management team at KCT will surpass expectations and ensure the terminal achieves its stated objectives," said the PAJ president.