Last week ABMA board member Peter Anthony joined a team from the Antigua Port Authority to welcome officials from the ISWAN International Port Welfare Partnership. This inaugural meeting, took place from 16th – 20th November 2015, to discuss Antigua & Barbuda’s interest in developing a welfare board in collaboration with IPWP. The main objective of the project is to establish a minimum of 5 new welfare boards (under the auspices of MLC, 2006) in different countries by 30 April 2016. The Antigua & Barbuda authorities made a very positive impression on the delegation and received the below video and correspondence from the Deputy Chief Executive commending their efforts to be included in this number.
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Dear Colleagues
Thank you all for sparing the time from your busy schedules to attend the inaugral AB PWC meeting the other day onboard ‘Adventure of the Seas’, courtesy of Royal Caribbean. The turn out was impressive and I thank those few who couldn’t make it for operational reasons for sending their apologies.
The IPWP pilot project comes to a close on 30th April 2016 and a report will be published around that time. Obviously, the report will feature AB and I will make sure you all receive a copy in good time. In the interim, should you be interested, I have put together a webpage and a video clip on our project website https://www.portwelfare.org/case-study-3–antigua—barbuda.html and ADOMS will publish a short news item on their website in the near future.
I am certain the Project Executive Committee, which consists of international executives from Ship owners, Port Owners/Authorities, Unions and Voluntary Organisations, will be both interested and impressed with what has happened here during my visit. So, thank you all for making it such a positive and productive experience – we managed to pack a great deal into a short period of time! It is obvious that with increases in shipping, visiting seafarers and major port redevelopments on the horizon AB’s maritime future is looking bright.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to the team from ADOMs, in particular Chris, Darion and Annabel. They have gone out of their way to co-ordinate the visit logistics and are to be congratulated for voluntarily agreeing to take the PWC Administrative lead for the all important first year.
Finally, as I understand it, your Prime Minister may be mentioning our seafarers’ welfare initiative when he addresses the UN Special Agency IMO (International Maritime Organisation) next week in London. This would not be possible without your enthusiastic participation and support of seafarers’ welfare. I will keep you posted on project progress via Annabel……once again, thank you and let me be the first to say Merry Christmas!
Kind Regards
Peter
Peter Tomlin MBE MNM
Deputy Chief Executive
Merchant Navy Welfare Board
8 Cumberland Place, Southampton, Hampshire SO15 2BH