The Caribbean Shipping Association’s (CSA) 49th Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition is scheduled for October 6 to 9, 2019, in beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic at the Barcelo Bávaro Palace hotel. Known for having arguably, the finest beaches in the world, Punta Cana is known for its overall breath-taking beauty and world-class hospitality. Against this incomparable backdrop, the CSA will meet once again to facilitate the networking interchange between members, guests and other conference delegates, including regional leaders of the shipping and maritime industries; trade and policy development practitioners and others in the related fields of finance, commerce, security, and information technology.

The conference will be sponsored by the Asociacion de Navieros de la Republica Dominicana.

As is customary, the conference will have a high quality of participation from insightful speakers and engaging cutting-edge topics. Among the speakers are John Hatley, Peter Wild and Carlos Guillermo Flaquer.

John Hatley, Americas vice president, Marine Solutions and director market shaping for Wartsila North America, will present in a segment entitled ‘Oceanic Awakening; Sustainability and Stewardship Actions’. He is eminently qualified with over 30 years of combined marine experience spanning the fields of business development, sales, project management of domestic and overseas vessel construction, owner representation, pension fund shipping investment, ship operations, and vessel design.

His expertise, however, resides in market development - shaping activities for gas initiatives with a focus on financial business case metrics for decision making and environmental currency. Prior to joining Wartsila, he held positions with General Electric, Marine Industries NW, Pension Fund Investment First American Bulk Carriers, US Lines, Trinidad Tankers, and John J. McMullen Naval Architects. He is a licensed Chief Engineer for Steam, Diesel, and Gas Turbines.

Hatley is a graduate of BS United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, University of Michigan, and University of Washington. In addition to his vast experience, he academic qualifications and certifications, he currently holds positions of trust as Board Member of Puget liquefied natural gas (LNG), a small scale LNG facility; Board Member, Society Gas Marine Fuel ‘SGMF’; Board Member, SEALNG; Chairman, SEALNG Investment Committee showcasing business commons ships typical trades: LNG fuel vs. Scrubber vs. compliant fuel. Gas Tech Governing Body Strategic and Commercial, Advisory Board University of Michigan Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering.

It is therefore not surprising that he was recognised in 2016 as Fellow Royal Institution Naval Architects, and was the recipient in 2016 of the University of Michigan Rosenblatt Award as Outstanding Alumnus for Leadership in Maritime Industry, and the recipient of the 2008 Admiral McCready Award for Outstanding Contributions to Marine Engineering. He has been guest speaker at over 200 conferences.

Peter Wild, the owner of GP Wild (International) Limited, will discuss the ‘Impact of Having an International Multi-port Operator Taking Over Management of Terminal Operations in the Caribbean’. The holder of a Bachelor of Marine Studies from the University of Cardiff, Peter Wild is a leading expert on cruise and maritime tourism and passenger shipping. His work is very varied and covers many areas in his field including the international cruise, ferry, tourism, travel, maritime tourism and maritime leisure markets together with the development of port infrastructure and other interrelated port and destination facilities. In relation to cruise and maritime tourism, Wild provides comprehensive market analysis, projections and supply and demand profiles, economic impact studies, destination assessment benchmarking and development covering all the world’s regions.

Carlos Guillermo Flaquer, manager of Caucedo Logistics Center at DP World, will engage the audience on the topic of Logistics Models in the Caribbean. He is a clear and dynamic communicator who is able to bring enthusiasm and humor to motivate others to achieve potential and meet objectives. Additionally, he is known for successfully building strong relationships with internal and external components of the organisation.

In addition to his shrewd business acumen, his educational qualifications include a graduate degree from Universitat Politècnica de València, an MBA from Nova Southeastern University and certifications from Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München / LMU Munich, Penn State University and the University of Washington.

These presenters join an impressive line-up of speakers drawn from around the world who will educate and inform the audience about current and future trends across the supply chain and will be ably facilitated by members of the General Council who will lead the various panel discussions. Registration has opened and attendees can visit the CSA website to facilitate their registration, get information on securing their hotel rooms and indicate their travel arrangements, so that their arrival and departure can be facilitated by the hard-working secretariat team in conjunction with the host.

About The CSA

The CSA is the voice of the Caribbean shipping industry and was established in 1971 to facilitate the development of an efficient, viable Caribbean Shipping Industry. Conferences hosted by the CSA provide a forum in which matters relevant to the growth and development of Caribbean shipping are discussed.

General Council

The General Council is the governing body of the association. This body, chaired by the President, is responsible for the management of CSA affairs and the exercise of all powers and duties conferred upon the Association.

The General Council comprises:

- President

- Vice President

- Immediate Past President

- General Manager*

- Four members nominated by Group A

- Two members nominated by Group B

- Two members nominated by Group C

- One member nominated by Group D

* Elections for all except this executive post are held at the Annual General Meeting in October each year.

Standing committees

The General Council takes advice from four Standing Committees:

- Board of Trustees of the CSA Training Trust Fund

- The Port Award Committee

- The Silver Club

- The Cruise Committee

The CSA Secretariat

The registered address of the Secretariat of the CSA is in Kingston, Jamaica. Headed by the General Manager, the Secretariat provides full-time administrative support for the activities of the General Council; while planning content and logistics for the CSA’s Caribbean Shipping Executives Conference and the Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition each year. During Conferences and General Meetings, the Secretariat is temporarily located at the venue of such Conference or General Meeting.