KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister of Transport and Mining, Mike Henry, has signalled his intention to get Jamaica re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Jamaica, through the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), is seeking to regain a seat in Category ‘C’ of the prestigious governing body of the IMO in December.

In his remarks, read by his Senior Advisor, Bindley Sangster, at the MAJ’s recent 16th anniversary awards ceremony, the minister pointed out that he had, on three prior occasions, successfully led the team to winning a seat on the council between 2007 and 2011.

He said the Government is keen on Jamaica retaining its status as the leading maritime state in the Caribbean, a standing that has been recognised not only by the IMO but also other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are maritime countries with similar sustainable development challenges, and the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The minister pointed out that the SIDS and LDCs look to Jamaica for leadership and representation at the IMO and elsewhere.

He said the Government is serious about the development aspects of the authority’s role to facilitate critically important maritime investments, which are clearly outlined in the MAJ’s commissioned study.

They will help to create jobs and make Jamaica an envied shipping centre in the Caribbean. The study also shows Jamaica’s potential for maritime investments, such as bunkering, crewing and dry-docking.

In 2010, the MAJ commissioned a study called Development of a Framework for Positioning Jamaica as a Shipping Hub, with funding support from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The minister commended the authority for a stellar job as the regulatory face for Jamaica’s maritime good order and development over the past 16 years.

“You represent Jamaica admirably in the regional and international space, bringing much credit and recognition to the country, and helping to build our profile as a credible maritime state,” he said.