Belize Port Authority Prepares to Commemorate World Maritime Day

Stacey Swift

September twenty-sixth is recognised worldwide as World Maritime Day and it is being celebrated under the theme, “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community.” This year, the Belize Port Authority has teamed up with IMMARBE and the Belize Coast Guard as well as other key agencies operating in the marine economy to host a maritime education expo. The event, to be held at the Port Authority Headquarters, will provide an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of gender equality and the roles both men and women play in the maritime sector. Today, a meeting was held to finalize logistics and News Five spoke with Port Authority’s PR Manager, Stacey Swift about the expo scheduled on October fourth.

Stacey Swift, Planning, Policy and PR Manager, B.P.A.

“We are targeting vocational, secondary, and tertiary levels of the schools to be a part of this expo and to actually showcase what it is that we do in the maritime sector.”

Duane Moody

“Now I understand that a planning meeting just concluded. Talk to us about what people can expect when they do come out next week?”

Stacey Swift

“What they can expect…we have the various agencies who will be displaying their exhibition booths, telling students what it is that their organizations do—the roles and responsibilities—and also about opportunities that exist in the maritime career.”

Duane Moody

“For those who don’t know, talk to us about that; what careers are available in this maritime sector?”

Stacey Swift

“There are various careers available. For instance the Belize Port Authority, we have careers in port state control, port inspectors, we have harbour master, operations manager, we have seafarers. And even if you look at IMMARBE; we have the senior deputy registrar, we have the seafarer management unit. So we have various careers available even if you look at coastguard and different agencies in Belize.”