Saint Lucia is currently undergoing a mandatory International Maritime Organisation (IMO) audit.
The assessment measures how effectively Saint Lucia administers and implements mandatory IMO instruments.
Christopher Alexander, the Director of Maritime Affairs, said while the process is usually met with avoidance from individuals, an audit can be extremely beneficial.
“The audit in itself is not there to expose your country in terms of what the weaknesses are, it is an opportunity for your country to benefit because you can attend to the weaknesses and allocate more resources in that area. And if you can show the shipping community that you have a safe port, more ships are likely to come into your community. If you can show that the environment is clean more tourists are likely to visit and utilise your beaches knowing that you have no marine pollution on your beaches or within your seas. So there are a lot of win-win situations with regards to that audit.”
Mr. Alexander went on to point out that the significance of such a process can inevitably bring about positive effects for the whole country.
“In Saint Lucia we have met all our obligations. It is likely that investors will come in and say that they want to open a maritime school in Saint Lucia and then our seafarers will also benefit. This will decrease unemployment Saint Lucia because you can train people in Saint Lucia and certify them to work on cruise ships and other boats as well, so there are a lot of benefits to Saint Lucia.”
The official launch of Saint Lucia’s International Maritime Organisation Audit took place on May 7.
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