Bahamas meeting with the US Coast Guard

As a part of its ongoing commitment to strategic collaboration with industry partners, members of The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) and Bahamas Shipowners’ Association (BSA) held a meeting on the 28^th August with the US Coast Guard at the USCG HQ in Washington DC. Among those representing the USCG were RDML Wayne Arguin, Asst Commandant  for Prevention Policy, Captain Amy Beach, Director in Inspections and Compliance, Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards, CDR Brian Hall, Chief of Port  State.

The BMA//BSA delegation discussed a number of matters relating to vessel operations in US waters. A key area of discussion was regarding port state inspections with the team commending the USCG on the success of its port state inspection program. The BMA/BSA provided feedback on port state inspections including the potential unintended consequences of flags and ships’ QualShip21 status changing on the basis of very small margins.

Other topics discussed included ballast water, cybersecurity, use of armed guards in US ports, crewing matters and general communication and cooperation with the US Coast Guard on safety, security and pollution prevention, both at a regional level within the Caribbean and, internationally, at IMO. 

There was a mutual agreement to continue with periodic meetings recognising the shared objectives of ensuring shipboard safety; security; the protection of the marine environment; and crew training and wellbeing 

The BMA delegation comprised of Capt. Dwain Hutchinson, Managing Director & CEO, Stephen Keenan, Head of Inspection & Surveys and Capt. Ghulam Hussain, Head of Maritime Affairs. The BSA delegation was led by the BSA Vice Chairman, Capt. Domenico Rognoni and the BSA Manager, Anders Brodje, who were joined by Ken Engstrom, Sanjay Sukhrani, Benton Lobo, Ben Kalhagen, Rajesh J Dhadwal, Douglas Martin and Dick Fredericks.