St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo announced on Thursday that the Port of St. Maarten will be the host of the Annual General Meeting of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (P.M.A.C.) from June 25-27.
This is another major conference that the port will be hosting profiling the country to various delegates who will be attending. The P.M.A.C. is considered a very important organization with respect to port authority operations.
The country will also be the venue for the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) 21st Annual Conference & Trade Show in October that will bring more than 1000 cruise executives and conference attendees to the shores of the island.
CEO Mark Mingo stated on Thursday that his team along with other port officials is working diligently to make the annual general meeting of the P.M.A.C. a success for the destination.
Mingo added that 2014 is a special year for country St. Maarten since it also represents 50-years of the Port of St. Maarten.
The June meeting is expected to focus on strategic planning; administrative and reporting activities including presentation and discussion of the annual Financial Statement and Budget, Associate Members Report, Executive Report, Training Report and individual member Country Reports; technical sessions; and an awards dinner.
P.M.A.C. was founded in 1998 with the aim to improve the proficiency of member ports and the quality of services offered to their users. The aforementioned objective is to be accomplished by training.
The vision of the regional grouping of port authorities and other stakeholders is to be respected as the main voice of member ports; to advise on port management and port operations matters in the Caribbean; to facilitate further collaboration of as many of the regional ports in the development of training, including job exchange programs and sharing of human resources.
Also to be a leader in the promotion of professionalism in port administration within the region; to be a vehicle of integration for the development of a uniform and sustainable philosophy regarding the attainment of common objectives, within the framework of service excellence; to facilitate appropriate training which best meets the needs of member ports; and to establish mutually beneficial association/alliances.
Current membership of the P.M.A.C. are the port authorities of: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Saint Martin, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and St. Maarten. There are also a number of associate members.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Port of St. Maarten