Caribbean Maritime Institute to offer Three Full Tuition Scholarships to Antigua and Barbuda Nationals

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda – 10th September, 2014……..The Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) has funded a team of Port Consultants out of Jamaica to give the Antigua and Barbuda Government advice on the Port Development Modernization Project.  The delegation is comprised of the Executive Director of the Caribbean Maritime Institute Dr. Fritz Pinnock, the Honourable Noel Hylton LLD. (Hons.)  Business Consultant and Ms. Karen Adair Port Consultant.
Accompanied by Mr. Darwin Telemaque Port Manager of the Anti gua and Barbuda Port Authority, the team paid a visit to the offices of the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping.  Ambassador Dwight Gardiner Director/Registrar General of the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping and his management team were present to welcome the delegation and give them a short presentation of the role and function of the Maritime Administration.  
The team of consultants also had the opportunity of paying a courtesy call to the office of the Prime Minister.  Present at the meeting were the Prime Minister and Minister with responsibility for Seaports and Merchant Shipping and Ship Registration- Honourable Gaston Browne, Minister of Education – Honourable Michael Browne, President of the Senate – Senator Alicia Williams-Grant, Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority – Senator Mary Clare Hurst, Honourable Noel Hylton – Business Consultant, Dr. Fritz Pinnock – Executive Director – Caribbean Maritime Institute,  Ambassador Dwight Gardiner – Director/Registrar General of the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS) and Mr. Darwin Telemaque – Port Manager of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority.
The Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) was established in 1980 as the Jamaica Maritime Training Institute (JMTI).  This was the result of a collaborative effort of the Government of Jamaica and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway (NORAD) with the aim of training Jamaican nationals to man the Jamaica Merchant Marine (JMM).
In 1990 the Institute was identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as the national TRAINMAR Centre through which UNCTAD programmes could be delivered in the Caribbean.  In 1996 the then JMI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC) establishing the Caribbean Diploma in International Shipping and Logistics in the Eastern Caribbean.  The Institute is recognized by CARICOM as the preferred centre for regional maritime education and training and in 2001 the name was changed to the Caribbean Maritime Institute.
The programmes delivered at the CMI run from short professional courses to associate degrees as well as Bachelor Degree and Masters Degree Programmes. Dr. Fritz Pinnock during his meeting with the Honorable Prime Minister presented him with three full tuition scholarships for the Academic Year 2014 – 2015.  These scholarships are for a period of three years during which time candidates would only be responsible for boarding.
The Prime Minister said ‘I must thank the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) for sponsoring the visit of this very capable team of consultants. As the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda I am delighted that the CMI would select us as the location for their satellite campus which will give the Eastern Caribbean, but in particular our nationals, an opportunity at making the maritime industry a career.  This fits into my broader vision for the development of the maritime industry as well as the improvement and modernization of the sea port facilities and its operations.  This would position Antigua and Barbuda as a leader in the maritime trade within the Caribbean.’