Congratulations to the new Chairman of The Bahamas Shipowners Association Domenico Rognoni

Pictured left to right are: Anders Brodje, BSA Manager, Domenico Rognoni incoming BSA Chairman, Jacqueline M Simmons, BMA Chairman, John Adams, outgoing BSA Chairman, Peter John Goulandris, BMA Deputy Chairman, and Dwain Hutchinson, BMA Managing Director & CEO

The BMA would like to extend its congratulations to Captain Domenico Rognoni, Vice President of Carnival Cruise Line, who was appointed Chairman of The Bahamas Shipowners Association (BSA) at the BSA recent Annual General Meeting. Mr Rognoni, who previously served as BSA Deputy Chairman, has been joined on the BSA leadership team by George Sarris, President of Enterprises Shipping and Trading, who was elected as Vice Chairman.

Mr Rognoni will be succeeding John Adams, Senior Adviser at V.Ships UK, who has filled the chairmanship admirably for the past 8 years. The BMA team would like to extend its appreciation to Mr Adams for his leadership and commitment to representing the interests of the shipowners at the industry and regulatory level, particularly at International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), where he chaired the strategic industry Working Group focusing on meeting the IMO GHG reduction targets.

The BSA represents all shipowners registered to The Bahamas Flag and, as such, works closely with The BMA. Links between the two organisations are crucial to the success of the Flag and the collaboration between the Authority and its shipowners ensures that The BMA is able to represent their interests at international regulatory fora including the IMO and ILO where The Bahamas is an active member state.

In addition to the new appointments, The BSA Annual General Meeting was an opportunity for Officers from both the BSA and BMA Boards to share their views and hopes for the future. The outgoing BSA chairman expressed his belief that the environment and the human element are both the key factors which will define the future of the maritime industry.

BMA Chairman, Jacqueline Simmons, Deputy Chair, Peter John Goulandris, and Managing Director and CEO, Capt Dwain Hutchinson, along with other BMA senior managers, attended the AGM and, in their remarks, concurred with Mr Adams’ reflection on the two areas of strategic importance for the industry whilst stressing collaboration was vital to developing synergy in strategies to address these challenges.  They also emphasised the importance of attracting the next generation and new talent into the sector and outlined the positive impact of The Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps programme which raises national awareness of shipping and continues to increase its cadet intake year on year with expansion being planned to other islands in The Bahamas. Recognition and gratitude were expressed to the shipowners for their essential support for the programme including the provision of shipboard experience.

The role of seafarers onboard Bahamian ships was recognised through The Bahamas record as a quality flag as demonstrated through its performance and whitelist status by port state control in both Asia and Europe. Leadership in leveraging technology was also highlighted through continuing enhancements to the BMA’s online registration information system (BORIS) and the introduction of a new online incident reporting tool, the first of its type to be employed in the maritime sector.

Finally, the three BMA Officers reiterated both The Government’s, and Authority’s, gratitude to The BSA members for their support of, and trust in, The Bahamas Flag and that The BMA looks forward to building upon the solid foundation provided by Mr Adams as the outgoing BSA Chairman and building towards a sustainable future with Mr Rognoni.