CSA president urges regional shipping sector to plan for growth

Despite current economic circumstances and the lingering global recession, the president of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), Carlos Urriola, has been encouraging all stakeholders in regional shipping to plan for growth.

In a positive and pragmatic message to the region's shipping industry, published in the recently released issue of Caribbean Maritime (the official publication of the CSA), Urriola warned that despite the current difficulties and depressed state of the world economy, there has to be planning for life after the recession.

"Perhaps if the business and financial news reports coming out of Europe at the end of 2011 were more positive we would have more cause for hope that the year ahead will be better than the one just ended. Regardless, life goes on. Ships are still calling. And we all have to deliver the services we are contracted or obligated to deliver. And, the ships coming into the service are getting bigger. That hasn't changed," he said.

"Back in 2002, we were astounded by the new 8,000 teu capacity ships. Today, 10 years later, we are talking about 18,000 teu capacity ships to enter the trades in 2014, by the time the Panama Canal expansion is completed. So, ironically, despite the depressed state of the global economy, we have to be actively planning and implementing projects for growth and expansion.

"This preparation is not just about the physical capacity and the operational capabilities of our marine ports and systems. Much work and investment must also be committed to the preparation and upgrading of the human resource," he stated.

The CSA president's concern addresses the natural tendency of companies in a recession to reduce their capability to the point where their organisation is unable to cope with the demands and expectations created in the process of economic recovery. Some companies, for example, are inclined to lay off their best workers or key management personnel, the very people who will be needed to help the organisation to exploit the opportunities brought on by recovery.

Urriola said that the CSA will be playing its part in preparing for life after the recession and will be developing and presenting a number of training events for regional maritime personnel during 2012 and after.

Urriola, a Panamanian, is serving his third-consecutive term as president of the regional shipping association. He demits office, according to the CSA constitution, in October 2012. The CSA's vice-president is Jamaica's Grantley Stephenson, CEO of Kingston Wharves Limited.

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