Today, on International Seafarers Day, the maritime world takes a moment to honor the backbone of global trade—the seafarers. In Belize, this recognition comes with a proactive push to enhance maritime safety, as the Belize Port Authority and the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE) join forces for a critical training initiative. This two-week program, led by experts from the Italian Shipping Academy, aims to bolster the country’s capacity to inspect vessels and ensure compliance with international safety standards.
Acting Ports Commissioner Kaylon Young underscored the significance of this collaboration, highlighting Belize’s dual responsibility to inspect both locally registered vessels and foreign ships entering its waters. “Internationally, we are obligated to inspect vessels,” Young stated. “And that’s from flag state perspective and coastal State perspective. So vessels that fly our flag internationally, they must be inspected by IMMARBE. And the foreign vessels that come into our waters must be inspected by the Belize Port Authority.” This initiative marks a shift from sending personnel abroad for training to bringing international expertise to Belize, maximizing local resources and expertise.
Kenisha Allen, an Office Administrator at IMMARBE, emphasized the organization’s role in ensuring that Belizean-registered vessels adhere to international conventions and laws. “We’re sister companies,” Allen explained. “With the International Maritime Organization, Belize is a member state. Being a part of that organization, you have the flag, which is the registry, the port and coast. So we’ve all integrated into ensuring that we all have similar types of training and collaboration for different maritime events, such as the Day of the Seafarer, which is today.”
The Italian Shipping Academy, known for its vocational courses on maritime safety and security, saw this collaboration as an opportunity to expand its reach. Carmen Giordano of the academy noted, “The Italian Shipping Academy I.M.S.S.E.A. department is used to provide for vocational courses on maritime safety and security issues according to the IMO models, with the IMO collaboration with the IMO. I.M.S.S.E.A. is born on 2009. So since that date we are going to provide for this kind of course. And when IMMARBE and the Belize Port Authority reached us out for asking us for expertise and to improve the capacity building of their officers, we always, we directly said yes. Absolutely, yes.”
This training is not just about ticking boxes; it’s about saving lives and protecting the environment. Young detailed the comprehensive checks that inspectors must perform, from ensuring emergency equipment is functional to verifying that ships are not polluting Belizean waters. “For ships that come into Belizeans waters, we have to ensure all their emergency equipment are open park emergency, fighting gears, emergency generator. If the ship loses power, we have to ensure that the ship has sufficient means to regain back its power. If the ship loses steering. We have to ensure that the emergency steering is functional. We have to ensure if there’s a fire board, the ship has the capacity to fight this fire board. We have to ensure that the ships are not polluting discarding any pollutants in our waters. And so this training helps us to develop that capacity to know what to look for. So when we go and do our inspections, we are more equipped with the knowledge and the expertise to ensure the safety of our resources.”
The ripple effects of this initiative could be substantial. By enhancing the inspection capabilities of Belizean authorities, the program not only ensures safer waters locally but also sets a precedent for other nations to follow. As global trade continues to grow, the demand for robust maritime safety standards will only increase. This training could serve as a model for other countries looking to improve their maritime safety protocols, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility.
Moreover, the focus on capacity building within Belize could inspire similar initiatives in other regions, particularly in developing nations where resources for maritime training are often limited. By bringing international expertise to the local level, Belize is demonstrating that safety and compliance can be achieved without extensive travel or financial strain.
As the maritime industry evolves, the role of seafarers remains as vital as ever. Initiatives like this training program not only honor their contributions but also invest in their safety and the safety of the waters they navigate. In doing so, Belize is not just celebrating International Seafarers Day; it’s taking concrete steps to ensure that every day at sea is safer for those who keep the wheels of global trade turning.