POINTE BLANCHE:--- Port St. Maarten Group (PSG) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alexander Gumbs looks forward to welcoming 360+ delegates this weekend who arrive for the 54th Annual General Meeting, Conference, and Exhibition of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA).
St. Maarten is hosting the 54th CSA Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition from October 7 – 8 which is taking place at the JW Marriot St. Maarten Beach Resort and Spa.
Based on CSA data, the majority of the delegates will be coming in from Saturday into Sunday, with over 200 staying longer than October 8.
“It is a great pleasure that St. Maarten was selected to host this conference. I look forward to welcoming the delegates, and I know they will have fruitful discussions and enjoy our destination, which has so much to offer. Welcome to St. Maarten/St. Martin,” PSG CEO Gumbs said.
Over the weekend the CSA will kick-off a number of meetings that includes the board of trustees, port award committee, the CSA security advisory council, cruise committee, decarbonization committee, and the CSA general council.
Some of the key sessions that will be presented are Innovations and Strategies for a Resilient Supply Chain in the Caribbean and Latin America, Building Climate Resilience and Caribbean Logistics, and Strategies and Innovations in Hurricane Preparedness. The Caribbean Trade Landscape in a Changing Global Economy. Roundtable discussions spanning various topics such as Trade facilitation, AI in shipping, Single Window and digitalization, and more. There will also be spouses' programs rolling simultaneously with social events highlighting our culture and a closing Gala banquet Dinner & Awards ceremony.
For the past five decades, the CSA has been a key figure in the expansion of the regional maritime industry through advocacy, training and development. The CSA was established in 1971.
Since its inception, the CSA’s membership has grown immensely. It now boasts over 100 individual members and 12 national shipping organizations, which represent interests in the private and public sectors across the Caribbean and South, Central, and North American ports.
Port St. Maarten has been a member of the CSA for more than 20 years and is a member of the Cruise Committee, and this is the second time that the country is hosting the conference.
The CSA’s network encompasses entities ranging from port authorities, terminal operators, shipping agents, shipping lines, tug and salvage companies, consultants and freight forwarders, among others, an apt representation of its scope and development.
The CSA exhibition will be officially opened, and the delegates will receive a tour of Port St. Maarten.
