‘Ambitious programme’ to develop maritime industry

Trinidad and Tobago was fortunate, he said, “to be in an ideal geographic location, with growing trade links, vibrant energy sector, low fuel rates and a component workforce” to develop such a work programme.

Ramcharan made his remarks yesterday at the opening of the three-day regional International Marine Organisation (IMO) workshop on Port Reception Facilities and Waste Management at the Ministry of Works head office, Port-of-Spain.

In keeping with its work programme, he said, the Maritime Services Division has developed a “Strategic Maritime Spatial Planning Policy” document for the Gulf of Paria.

The division, he said, was now mandated to produce a similar policy document for the entire span of the territorial waters around Trinidad and Tobago.” The objective, he said, is to identify and recommend specific zones of the maritime waters to be used for particular maritime activities.

The new policy document, Ramcharan said, will assist decision makers, investors, regulators, and legislators to make use of the maritime space for specific activities in an environmentally friendly manner for the benefit of all.

In terms of legislation, he said, Government was moving to modernise and amend the Shipping Act, and a policy document towards this end, is currently before the Chief Parliamentary Counsel. The amended act will provide for the creation of a maritime authority vested with greater autonomy than what currently exists to move the maritime sector forward.

Pleased to be hosting the workshop with the intention of also gaining from regional and international expertise, Ramcharan said that TT has ratified the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Maritime Environment in the Wider Caribbean, better known as the Cartagena Convention and its three agreements. The three agreements are the Oil Spills Protocol, the SPAW (Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) Protocol, and the LBS (Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution) Protocol.

The Cartagena Convention is aimed to prevent, reduce and control pollution from sources of pollution such as ships, dumping, sea bed activities, air-borne pollution and land-based activities.

It supports the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Ships, also known as the MARPOL Convention.