The MAJ turns 16!
THE MARITIME Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) is celebrating 16 years of service to Jamaica this year! Institutionalised by the Shipping Act of 1998, the MAJ is the implementing body for the conventions of the United Nation’s specialised agency for international shipping, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), of which Jamaica is a member state.
The Maritime Authority of Jamaica continues to play a significant role in ensuring that the local maritime industry is safe, secure, and efficient as it operates in compliance with the major IMO conventions, including the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention. The authority regulates navigation within Jamaica’s legally recognised maritime space, which means that they oversee vessels that sail Jamaican waters to ensure that they observe the requirements for safety, security and pollution prevention.
The authority has much to celebrate, particularly in 2017. In February of this year, the director general of the MAJ, Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Brady, was appointed as Jamaica’s special envoy to the IMO. He is to spearhead Jamaica’s strategy for election to the council by lobbying for Jamaica’s candidature to Category C of the council of the organisation among 171 countries. This is expected to enhance the country’s capacity to contribute to major policy deliberations, rule-making, development of standards, as well as to implement port, coastal, and flag state obligations. Here are some pictures of MAJ’s 16th anniversary celebrations.