More than 325 shipping executives attended CSA annual conference in Panama

Final presentations were completed on Wednesday (Oct 30) afternoon as the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) brought the curtain down on its 43rd AGM in Panama City, where more than 300 shipping executives from across the Americas attended. Registration topped 325 a week before the event.

Fifteen terminals vie for Caribbean Port Awards

The performance of 15 container terminals and multi-purpose port facilities were reviewed and compared by the Caribbean Shipping Association’s Port Award Committee in session in Panama on Sunday October 6, prior to the start of the 43rd Annual General Meeting, Conference an Exhibition.

Guadeloupe won the Ludlow Stewart Award for best multi-purpose terminal while the prize for best container terminal went to Puerto Rico. This is the first time in the 26-year history of the competition that Puerto Rico has taken the top award. Guadeloupe previously won the top prize for multi-purpose terminals, in 2008.

CSA CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS VISIT PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION SITE

An opportunity many will never get …

CSA members, observers and participants attending the 43rd Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition of the Caribbean Shipping Association got an opportunity not many persons in global shipping will ever get.  On Tuesday October 8, all conference participants rode one of the oldest railroads in the hemisphere from the city of Colon to Miraflores Locks to personally witness the final stages of what has been described as the largest construction project on the planet.

Important topics for discussion and analysis …

The CSA’s year-end conference in Panama (October 7, 8 and 9, 2013) brought a number of important topics to the fore for discussion and analysis. Treatment took the form of individual presentations as well as panel discussions involving experts in their field.

Participants discussed, among other things, the readiness of the America’s region for the opening of the expanded Panama Canal.

Related story:

CSA signs MOU with Port Management Association

The Caribbean Shipping Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) clearing the way for cooperation between the two regional maritime sector membership organizations.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on June 19 2013 at the PMAC’s 16th Annual General Meeting, held at Frigate Bay in St. Kitts by CSA President Grantley Stephenson and PMAC Chairman, Lenius Lendor.

The MOU establishes the basis for active cooperation between the CSA and PMAC. It provides a framework to pursue cooperative projects of mutual interest mainly in the areas of training and security. By working together, the two organizations expect to increase the force and effectiveness of their efforts in matters relating to port security; ensuring the safety of passengers, crew members, vessels and port facilities, as well as in securing financing for implementation of programmes and infrastructure.

As regards personnel training, the MOU provides for the exchange of knowledge and information on standards and technology to make port facilities more and secure.

In order to strengthen the cooperation between the two organizations and to enhance the effectiveness of both in representing the interests of seaports in various international maritime fora, the CSA and PMAC agreed to cooperate in a number of areas under the sub-heads: International Collaboration, Technical Cooperation, Events Cooperation and Exchange of Views and Information including research data.

PHOTO CAPTION

SEATED (l – r): Everton Walters, PMAC Representative; Jonathan Bass, CEO of St Christopher Air and Seaports Authority; Lenius Lendor, PMAC Chairman; Grantley Stephenson, CSA President; Dionne Mason-Gordon, CSA’s Conference and Operations Manager; Richard Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport, St Kitts & Nevis. STANDING (l – r): Glenn Roach, PMAC Executive Secretary; Bishen John, PMAC Deputy Chairman; Dr Fritz Pinnock, Caribbean Maritime Institute’s Executive Director.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.caribbeanshipping.org/archway/front.htm

JetBlue adds non-stops to the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood

Service to Montego Bay, Punta Cana and Port of Spain Launch May 1, 2014 (a)

NEW YORK, NY, Oct 29, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) — JetBlue Airways JBLU -1.18%  continues to grow at its South Florida focus city Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood with two new non-stop routes. Beginning May 1, 2014, JetBlue will fly once a day to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (a). These two flights are now available for sale, with special introductory fares starting at $99 one way (b) for travel from May 1, 2014 through June 18, 2014. The two new routes are in addition to the already announced nonstop once-a-day flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, also starting May 1, 2014 (a).

“Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood was JetBlue’s very first destination and we have always been very committed to the South Florida region. With these new nonstop flights to three of the Caribbean’s premier destinations, we will offer 29 nonstop routes and more than 70 daily flights from Fort Lauderdale/ Hollywood on peak days,” said Dave Barger, JetBlue’s president and CEO.

“We are excited to be an integral part of JetBlue’s continued growth here in South Florida. We look forward to the great service they will provide our community with the expansion to Punta Cana and Montego Bay as part of their long-term commitment here in Broward County,” said Kent G. George, Director of Aviation, Broward County Aviation Department, Fort Lauderdale/ Hollywood Airport.

“We are delighted to welcome JetBlue’s new service from Fort Lauderdale to Punta Cana,” said Magaly Toribio, Marketing Advisor for the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism. “We greatly value our long-term partnership with JetBlue and the new route will positively impact tourism. The non-stop service will further improve accessibility to the breathtaking region for U.S. travelers who seek the area’s world-class resorts, internationally-ranked golf courses, pristine coastlines and more.”

“Our partnership with JetBlue has been crucial as we continue to increase airline options for travelers,” said John Lynch, Director of Tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board. “A new daily service from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood provides Jamaicans overseas, as well as non-Jamaican travelers a simple, competitively-priced way to fly into the heart of Montego Bay. We’re encouraged that JetBlue continues to see the value in the destination by continually adding new flights. With such easy access, our hope is that travelers from south Florida will make Jamaica their home away from home.”