Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin reported to the House of Assembly that The Bahamas was "soundly" reelected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council in "category C".
The IMO Council is made up of 40 member states divided into three categories.
Category A comprises 10 states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: countries currently serving in Category A include China, Greece, the Russian Federation, the United States, Panama and the United Kingdom.
Category B of the council comprises 10 states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade and includes countries such as Argentina, Germany, India, Canada, Spain and France.
Category C has 20 members from states which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas in the world.

"It is in this category that The Bahamas was re-elected along with Singapore, Turkey, Malta, Australia, Cyprus, Peru, Egypt, Kenya, Indonesia, South Africa, Morocco, Chile, Denmark, Belgium, Mexico, Malaysia, Philippines, Liberia, and Thailand. We are now the only country serving in this region," Hanna-Martin said.

The work of the IMO includes ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal, matters pertaining to energy efficiency, new technology and innovation, maritime education and training, maritime security, maritime traffic management and the development of the maritime infrastructure.
Hanna-Martin talked about training.

"We have placed a premium on maritime training and education of our youth population. The Bahamas government through the auspices of the Bahamas Maritime Authority and in collaboration with the Bahamas Shipowners Association has created a basic maritime training program called the Maritime Cadet Corps, which trains young men and women in high schools throughout the country.

"Further and higher education in the maritime field is also supported by the government in partnership with The College of The Bahamas and other domestic and international institutions for the training of young Bahamian maritime professionals. And our young people have performed exceptionally well both locally and in the international arena," she said.

The minister noted that there are currently 384 cadets enrolled in the Bahamas Maritime Cadet program: 189 in Nassau, 78 in Grand Bahama, 40 in Abaco, 67 in Eleuthera and 10 in Inagua.

"We have now created a database compiling the names, qualifications and training of Bahamian maritime professionals which currently comprises 1,953 Bahamians. These include maritime officers and other Bahamians technically trained in the various areas of the maritime sector," she reported.

In fact, she disclosed that the Ministry of Transport has recently certified a manning agency owned and operated by two such young maritime professionals who are certified to facilitate placement of appropriately trained Bahamians on vessels.

"It was this very process that effected the recent recruitment of Bahamians on to cruise ships most recently and is currently recruiting Bahamians for other placements on cruise ships.

"There are currently six scholarship recipients attending State University of New York Maritime College in New York with an additional scholarship to be shortly added," she said.

"We are among what I believe to be the few countries that have a maritime policy recently developed providing a framework for the rational and sustainable exploitation of our marine resource for the social, environmental, scientific and economic health and prosperity of the Bahamian people. This policy is the sum total of input of varying and numerous stakeholders nationwide and has now been approved by Cabinet. We are now developing an implementation strategy. This has the potential of creating new paradigms in our economic model. We also have a heightened understanding of the technical, commercial, safety and security issues that relate to world shipping," Hanna-Martin said.

She reiterated that The Bahamas has one of the largest ship registries in the world. The Bahamas flag oversees a diverse ship portfolio from the largest and most modern cruise ships designs, to the largest bulk carriers and tankers and reefers to the most technologically advanced ships which extract mineral resources from the seabed, and has a gross tonnage of 63.18 million tons with 1,621 ships.

The minister also reported that The Bahamas has retained its position on the Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU and recently placed third behind Norway and Hong Kong on the Paris MOU White List, which means by virtue of its track record ships registered with The Bahamas flag are less likely to be inspected and detained in ports which are signatories of the specific White Lists MOU.

"And so, The Bahamas indeed has a vested interest in the policy-making of the IMO as it has a direct impact on the growth and development of The Bahamas. As members of the council we are therefore substantive contributors to committees and sub-committees on varying and important matters.

"The council membership is at the same time a matter of prestige and esteem for our country but also gives us an influential voice in a sector that The Bahamas has a relatively significant stake in. Of note, on the occasion of the elections, The Bahamas made a modest contribution to the International Maritime Law University and to the World Maritime University, institutions which Bahamians have over the years attended."

Hanna-Martin said the ministry's focus is not only in the international arena, but domestically the ministry is well underway to reforming maritime legislation, and to creating a heightened regulatory environment for heightened standards in the maritime sector within The Bahamas.

"In this regard, we shall be very soon laying amendments to the Boat Registration Act, Commercial Recreational Watercraft Act, Merchant Shipping Act, Waterskiing and Motorboat Control Act, among other legislation and we should be introducing legislation for the first time to specifically regulate small commercial cargo ships. The draft bills have been completed and are now being circulated for consultation with stakeholders.

"We are establishing, for the first time in some instances, and bolstering in other instances, maritime administrations in Bimini, Exuma, Fresh Creek, Andros and North Eleuthera. The Port Department will over the next several years embark on the recruitment of young maritime professionals drawn from the database established to serve in the promotion and strengthening of our maritime sector within The Bahamas," she said.

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