2024 – A Look Back at a Successful Year

2024 was a busy year for The BMA team with numerous events and visits throughout the globe and also at home in The Bahamas. It was a year of proud achievements for both the Authority and also individual members of staff as we continued our commitment to quality, excellence and providing the best possible service to our clients.

Recognising the critical role of seafarers  

Any review of the year must recognise the invaluable and critical role of our seafarers who perform a challenging and demanding role every day of the year while also taking the time to protect the marine environment. The sustainability of the maritime industry depends entirely on their dedication and commitment and The BMA is engaged with initiatives that support their safety and security as they go about their jobs. Sadly, maritime is not always successful and I would like to draw attention to the crew of the GALAXY LEADER who were held in captivity for more than a year and have only very recently been released.  We continue to work in collaboration with industry partners for the release of any other seafarers taken hostage in the course of carrying out their work. Together with these partners we are working to enhance the safety of all mariners.

Attracting the next generation of mariners

We are equally pleased with our capacity building efforts and promotion of shipping as viable career through the Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps which continues to expand in terms of number of students and centres throughout The Bahamas.  The growth in the number of female graduates indicates that we are beginning to make inroads in the promotion of gender equality and we will continue to highlight the International Day for Women in Maritime which takes place on the 18th May every year in recognition of women in our sector.

Regulatory Influence and striving for environmental sustainability

As a Council member at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) since 1999, we are engaged on many levels within the organisation, having a position on many sub-committees and working groups. In addition, we were honoured to chair the IMO group which led to the development of the International Code of Safety for Diving Operations, 2023 ((2023 Diving Code), a code which was published in April. We have also submitted a number of discussion papers covering topics ranging from passenger ship safety to classification of cargo, and from MARPOL record books to the Life Saving Appliances (LSA) Code.  Helping the IMO to meet its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions targets is a priority for The BMA and we have worked closely with other member states and industry bodies as we all strive to achieve this goal.

During 2024, The Bahamas undertook its IMO member state audit. This was a national interagency cooperation which has benefitted not only The BMA but also the broader Bahamas maritime administration. We were able to analyse our systems to ensure that we fulfil all the obligations under the international conventions to which The Bahamas is party.

Ensuring safety standards

One of the most important roles of a ship registry is to ensure that its fleet complies with international regulations and adheres to the highest standards of safety. To assist in this, The Bahamas has appointed a number of Recognised Organisations which meet its demanding criteria and so are able to carry out inspections and surveys on its behalf. In September 2024 we were pleased to announce that Türk Loydu Uygunluk Değerlendirme Hizmetleri A.Ş had been appointed to join our roster of Recognised Organisations, providing a range of services including classification of ships, statutory services, assessments, certification of marine products and other certification services.

Another vital component of the ship registry’s role is carrying out an investigation when something unfortunately goes wrong onboard. Our investigations team plays a vital role both regionally and globally in investigating firstly why a casualty happened and then moving on to identify what the industry should learn, making recommendations to improve outcomes in the future. Our expertise has been internationally recognised with a member of the team speaking at the Marine Accident Investigators’ International Forum (MAIIF) held in Beijing in September 2024 and we have also delivered a regional workshop on casualty investigation on behalf of the IMO.

Client and industry engagement and collaboration

From our collaboration with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation for the sponsorship of the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) Business on the Bay event in Miami, to our Greek reception during Posidonia, and our client engagements in Asia, the BMA recognises the importance of client engagement for delivery of a quality customer service.  These regular interfaces will continue through 2025.

10 years for our Greek office

2024 also marked the 10^th Anniversary of The BMA’s Piraeus office in Greece.  This milestone coincided, almost to the day, with Posidonia in May, and was the perfect opportunity to meet with government officials, clients and maritime industry leaders.  Greece is home to 20% of the world’s shipowners and, in fact, they own 17% of The Bahamas fleet so it is a privilege to operate a complete range of registration services, full technical support and seafarers’ documentation on their doorstep.

Hosting Caribbean neighbours

A big event in the calendar of Caribbean maritime is the annual meeting of the Caribbean Port State Control Committee (CPSCC) and, in July, The Bahamas Government was delighted to welcome over 30 delegates from 20 countries to Nassau as it hosted the 29^th meeting. It is thanks to these meetings and the stringent Port State Control inspection programme operated by the CMoU that the Caribbean is able to ensure that foreign vessels entering its regional waters are compliant with the various international maritime conventions.

Developing new markets

Asia is a strategically important maritime region for The BMA and our team has visited on multiple occasions during the past year, attending meetings in China, Japan and Korea. These visits have allowed the team to not only meet shipowners and managers, but also classification societies, registries and other stakeholders in our industry.

A maritime nation steeped in history

The Bahamas Maritime Authority was first established in 1995 and has grown in size and reputation over the years.  In recognition of this, we have developed a commemorative album, aligned with the celebration of The Bahamas’ 50^th Independence celebrations, which features the key people and events that have led to The BMA’s position today as one of the world’s top ship registries.

A special year to come

This year is the 30^th Anniversary for The BMA and we will be marking this landmark throughout 2025 when we hope we will be able to meet up with many of you as we celebrate this achievement. And, as a nation renowned for its pristine beaches and waters, we are very pleased to note that our anniversary year coincides with the World Maritime Day theme for 2025 of ‘Our Ocean – Our Obligation – Our Opportunity’.

In the meantime, The BMA team is looking forward to welcoming The Bahamas Shipowners Association’s Board of Directors in Nassau in the first quarter of this year and also attending many industry and regulatory events over the course of the year  where we will catch up with colleagues and friends.

None of these achievements would be possible without the commitment and expertise of the dedicated and competent BMA team, BMA Inspectors and Bahamas Recognised Organisations,  service providers and Bahamian Agencies.   Equally I am thankful for the support and guidance of the BMA’s Board of Directors and the unwavering support of The Bahamas Government regarding The BMA’s strategic objectives.

Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous 2025.

Captain Dwain Hutchinson
Managing Director and CEO