The president of the Bahamas Maritime Pilots Association (BMPA) will "express to the entire maritime community worldwide the challenges that the BMPA has faced in Freeport", at an upcoming international conference in Panama.
In a release issued by the BMPA, the organization said that Kendall Williamson will speak at the 22nd International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) Congress, to be held in Panama from April 7-11.
The Panama Canal Pilots' Association is one of the most significant marine pilot associations worldwide, and Panama serves as the host country for this years' congress in order to introduce the International Maritime Pilots Association (IMPA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the reconstruction of the Panama Canal, said the BMPA in the release.
The Panama Canal Pilots' Association is the sole independent pilots' association that manages the Panama Canal, one of the world's most critical transshipment and cross-continental shipping hubs.
"The BMPA feels this conference is of vital importance as it relates to the issues currently experienced by the BMPA in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Panama as the number one transshipment hub in the Western Hemisphere provides a perfect model for Freeport, which is number two in transshipment, as to how to carry out pilotage operations at a transshipment center. As Freeport plans to expand its transshipment operations, it is extremely important that all international standards are incorporated into the country's maritime policy and practices on the ground in Freeport," said the BMPA.
Other speakers set to participate in the event include Koji Sekimizu, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO); Captain Mike Watson, president of the International Maritime Pilots Association; Paul Kirchner, executive director of the American Pilots Association; Rainiero Salas, president of Panama Canal Pilots' Association; Mike Burgess of the Canadian Marine Pilots' Association; Mike Morris of the United Kingdom Maritime Pilots' Association; Dr. Phil Belcher of INTERTANKO; Rob Lomas of INTERCARGO, and others.
Captain Williamson said the congress is a "clear opportunity for us to share our challenges, gain access to more resources from pilots worldwide and to talk about a way forward in terms of immediate policy changes that must happen in Freeport in keeping with IMO standards.
"This makes it clear that the push of the BMPA towards independent, self-funded, non-competitive pilotage, with one pilot's association per port operating pilotage, is completely reasonable and along the lines followed worldwide, and the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal Pilots' Association's model makes that clear."
Williamson also indicated that he has invited the Ministry of Transport and the government of The Bahamas to send a representative to share in the experience and gain access to the global players in the maritime industry. Williamson will be joined by a delegation of BMPA members from Freeport and BMPA Managing Director Erin Ferguson.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian