Shipping Association of Jamaica boss William Brown returned as CSA’s vice president

Marc Sampson, the newly re-elected president of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), will be focusing on greater collaboration within the maritime space as one of the priorities for his new administration.

Sampson was returned yesterday as CSA boss, along with William Brown, president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica, as the the CSA’s vice president.

The elections took place during the CSA’s 52nd annual general meeting (AGM), conference and exhibition in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

VOICE OF THE CARIBBEAN SHIPPING INDUSTRY

Sampson, who was first elected in January following a delayed meeting due to the pandemic, was re-elected unopposed at the first in-person AGM since 2019. In his welcome to delegates, Sampson reiterated that the CSA continues to be a vibrant institution, primarily because of the participation of its members.

“We have raised the bar for regional collaborative activities that continue to bear tangible mutual benefit. Our strength comes from our member associations, organisations and companies – and from each one of you. We stand with each other, and it is this unity which has sustained us,” he told conference delegates.

Sampson emphasised that the CSA is committed to engaging its members and stakeholders in its role as ‘the voice of the Caribbean shipping industry’.

He told delegates that “this conference is among the most important in our industry, and provides critical information on the current state and future prospects of the regional maritime sector. More importantly, it builds on the synergies and interactions necessary to for us to collectively succeed”.

He added: “Two things can be true at the same time. We are collaborators and competitors. It is a unique position to be in, but at our core we are a community built on relationships that transcend individual roles.”

Sampson indicated that executing his role as president was easier because of the connections formed.

Building on connections

According to the newly elected CSA president, “people want to be engaged beyond the traditional expectations of business”.

He said: “We want to be seen and heard and respected for our individual attributes as much as our professional ones. The significance of those bonds in business cannot be overstated, particularly in an industry such as ours where we all contribute to the greater machinery. The interconnected nature of the shipping and logistics sector does not allow us to operate in silos, nor should we have to.”

He noted that the onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses to adjust and put customers at the fore of their operations.

Sampson made the point that the CSA, through its advocacy, mentorship, and training programmes, continues to put the experience of its members and delegates first.

He argued that this comes “at a time when other organisations were quelled by the pervading COVID conditions [but] our association brilliantly rose to the challenge, sustained by the support of its members”.

Renowned trends analyst Daniel Levine delivered the event’s keynote address.

Levine said the future will be faster and businesses must be ready to provide support at any time arguing that developing ways to make interactions quicker and improving self-help sales and service will become more important with time.

Promoting decarbonisation

The opening day of the conference featured a presentation from Colin Young, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regional coordinator, Colin Young, who provided an overview of the IMO’s goals including its thrust to promote decarbonisation. That includes its GreenVoyage2050 Project which supports the maritime industry’s transition towards a low carbon future.

Under the initiative, the IMO expects to reduce air pollution from ships, share operational best practices and explore opportunities for low and zero carbon fuels. The CSA announced that Trinidad and Tobago will host its next major meeting, the 21st Caribbean Shipping Executives’ Conference in mid-2023.

The Caribbean Shipping Association was established in 1971 and is the central voice for the region’s maritime industry. The CSA’s boasts membership of more than 100 individual members and 12 national shipping organisations which represent interests in the private and public sectors across the entire Caribbean and South, Central and North American ports.