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WiMAC MAKING WAVES

Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC) Conference held in October 16th -19th, 2018, in Belize City hosted by the Belize Maritime Authority and International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize Facilitated by the International Maritime Organization. The conference’s theme was “Charting the Course for Generations of Women”. The representatives from St. Kitts and Nevis were Tricia Greaux-Department of Marine Resources and Tamica Lawrence- Ministry of Tourism Nevis.

The welcome remarks included “promoting maritime sector across the region by increasing our network and improving by sharing of ideas”.  Mr. Claudia Grant outgoing WiMAC President gave an overview of WiMAC’s goals, mission and vision to sustain the maritime sector. Ms. Helen Buni, IMO Technical Cooperation Division spoke about the inclusion of maritime education in the secondary schools within Belize and highlighting the launch of Women in Maritime logo. Hon. Tracy Taegar Panton encouraging and inspiring speech “continue to sustain the agitation of the systemic barriers”  “access to training and development programs in this global industry as there is only 2% of women in the seafaring workforce” “how we go about achieving the end goal is just as important as the achievement itself”.

Plenary convened with a presentation by Ms. Diane Quarless, ECLAC sub regional headquarters for the Caribbean, entitled “An integrated agenda for the economic and professional empowerment of women in the Caribbean maritime sector”.  Next, “Gender Equality” by Professor Opal Adisa, Gender and Development Studies, UWI and finally “Decent Work and Economic Growth, The ABC of women worker’s rights and gender equality- a case study for the maritime sector” by Ms. Claudia Coenjaert, ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean.

Positioning for Professional Advancement Presentations were conducted by Sarita Mahabir-Lee -Maritime and Ocean Studies, UTT and Jennifer Nugent-Hill- Governmental and Community Affairs, Tropical Shipping. The work of IMO in the Caribbean Mr Colin Young – IMO Regional Maritime Adviser, IMO Women in Development Programme Ms. Helen Buni and Opportunities for Professional Development Dr. Momoko Kitada – World Maritime University.

The mentorship model for WiMAC, Integrating a role for WiMAC for the advancement of the women on the Caribbean maritime sector, an integrating session for sharing, learning and networking. Country presentations by Liaisons to track the status of the implementation of the SDGs with special emphasis on SDGs 4, 5, 8, and 14. The concluding presentation was themed “Nurturing for Sustainability” – the discussions resolved around conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. The new Governing Council was also voted into office. The Belizean Port Authority hosted a field trip to Altun Ha Archaeological Reserve for the participants.

A St. Kitts and Nevis WiMAC Chapter is on the horizon to be launched, we hope we get the support of the community in this venture.

⚠Orange Alert for Kick-em-Jenny

With the recent increase in volcanic activity there has been an upgrade from the yellow status to orange for Kick-em-Jenny volcano.

The Seismic Research Centre of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago states “Kick ’em Jenny is a submarine volcano located 8km north of Grenada (12.18°N, 61.38°W). The volcano is about 1300m high and 300m wide at its summit, which is currently thought to be about 200m below the surface of the sea. As far as we know, Kick ’em Jenny is the only ‘live’ (likely to erupt again) submarine volcano in the Eastern Caribbean. It is also the most frequently active volcano in the region, erupting at least 14 times since it was discovered in 1939. The most recent eruption of Kick ’em Jenny occurred in April 2017. For details of that and previous eruptions go to news archives. The volcano is currently at Alert Level ORANGE.   “ See link for more information http://uwiseismic.com .

Orange alert indicates a particular course of action. Vessels should therefore observe a 5 km exclusion zone from the site of the Kick-em-Jenny volcano. Interesting to note that most of the Lesser Antilles, including St. Kitts and Nevis, began as submarine volcanoes. The activity of this particular volcano gives a real time look at how these islands were formed. Therefore the effects of the volcano can be ground breaking to marine related fields of research.

 

The Ocean Explorer of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has indicated “undersea volcanic activity is a constant process that shapes the features of the ocean” and “Submarine volcanoes are also interesting because of the unique habitats they create. Seamounts are often areas of high biological diversity; their shape acts to deflect food-carrying currents upward, attracting a variety of sessile fauna and the crustaceans and fish that feed upon them. In the late 1970s, scientists were shocked to discover that some animals can even metabolize inorganic compounds emitted during volcanic activity, forming unique communities around hotspots of hydro-thermal venting (similar to geyser activity on land).” For more information http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/volcanoes.html

One frequently asked question from the UWI Seismic Research Centre is;

Can an eruption from the Kick ’em Jenny submarine volcano cause a tsunami? 

Kick ‘em Jenny is a submarine (underwater) volcano located 9 km north of Grenada. Currently, scientists believe that there is a very small chance that an eruption of the volcano would trigger a tsunami. Measurements of the volcano were taken in 2003 and the results showed that the summit (highest point) of the volcano is quite deep below the surface of the sea, too deep for an eruption of the kind normally seen to trigger a tsunami.

 

BIOPAMA Phase II Programme – Caribbean Regional Inception Meeting

St. Kitts and Nevis was represented at the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and Joint Research Center of the European Commission,  BIOPAMA (Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management) and University of the West Indies hosted Caribbean Regional Inception Meeting from 6th -7th March 2018 in New Kingston, Jamaica. Tricia Greaux – Marine Management Area and Habitat Monitoring Officer with responsibility for the St. Kitts and Nevis Marine Management Area (SKN MMA) was the representative.

This meeting is essentially introducing the Phase II aspect of the BIOPAMA Programme seeking to reinforce marine and terrestrial protected a  reas within the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries. Mrs. Hyacinth Armstrong-Vaughn -Protected Areas Officer in the BIOPAMA Programme during welcome remarks and Phase II overview indicated the focus is on conserving and sustainably using the biodiversity within the Caribbean region and included goals such as promoting agility throughout international and regional networks and data collection mechanisms. This Programme will also seek to create greater alignment with Government Officials, Researchers, Managers and Conservationist through protection of biodiversity since t

he natural ecosystem should not threaten the economic development of our nations. Mr. Edmund Jackson, Programme Officer Environment and Climate Change Officer , Secretariat of the ACP expressed that implementation should reflect ownership, sharing of lessons learnt and encourage appropriate reporting.

During the 2 day meeting, highlights of different perspectives from national and regional conservation and management priorities and evaluating the approaches for improving governance and management at multiple scales were discussed. Other major meeting topics included the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway, Regional Data Management Initiatives, and Data Sharing and Reporting.

The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme assists the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to address their priorities for improved management and governance of biodiversity and natural resources.