The Maritime Studies Programme of the Centre for Maritime and Ocean Studies (CMOS) hosted its Inaugural Maritime Industry Round Table (MIRT) meeting on Thursday 30^th September 2021. This MIRT was constituted to facilitate collaboration between government, industry and academia to progress the development of the Maritime Industry.

The initial focus of the MIRT will be to:

1. Advise on strategic alliances to develop the reach of the Unit;
2. Offer insight into appropriate inclusions for curriculum and programme design;
3. Advise on research priority areas; and
4. Facilitate collaboration between government/academia and industry to progress the development of the local and regional Maritime Industries.

Members of this Maritime Roundtable include representatives from the following organisations:

• The University of Trinidad and Tobago’s (UTT) Maritime Studies Programme;
• The Ministry of Works & Transport’s Maritime Services Division;
• CARIBMEPA;
• LABIDCO;
• Delta Logistics;
• Pilots Association of Trinidad and Tobago;
• Ministry of Trade and Industry;
• Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard;
• SEAMAR;
• Tsunami Marine Limited;
• National Energy Corporation;
• Jupiter Marine Services;
• International Maritime Organization; and
• Pt. Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation.

Membership of the MIRT is expected to grow, with further inclusions from the Shipping Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation, and Oil and Gas Majors.

At the start of the meeting, an update on the Maritime Studies Programme was provided and the Programme Leader for Maritime Studies, Assistant Professor Mrs. Vivian Rambarath-Parasram, highlighted the following:

• From 2007 to 2021, the Unit has produced 486 graduates of its seafarer and shore-based programmes.
• For the same period, the Unit has certified over 4,000 short course participants.
• The Unit is the proud Host Centre for the IMO’s Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre for the Caribbean (MTCC Caribbean), which continues to be recognised as a centre for excellence in capacity building.

On the issue of new programmes, Mrs. Rambarath-Parasram underscored the Unit’s planned development for management-level programmes and indicated that current staff constraints have proven to be a major obstacle in this venture. Use of operational level officers on a part-time basis is expected to assist in meeting the daily teaching demands of the programmes. Further, it was suggested that an Electro Technical Officer (ETO) programme be launched, given global demand. It was agreed that the Unit would seek to progress this agenda as a priority. The expansion of training for qualifications in Dynamic Positioning (DP) was also discussed, noting that for these investments to be adequately utilised, industry partners willing to commit to the long-term use of such training is a requirement in order to justify the initial capital outlay.  

As the discussions on the focus areas unfolded, the priority research agendas were identified as:

• Decarbonisation in shipping and port operations to enable compliance with industry standards;
• Support for research on national fisheries management; and
• The use of alternative fuels in shipping and the subsequent commercial maritime opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago.

It was also agreed that the campus needs to explore sustainability options by ensuring adequate leveraging of research opportunities and assisting in the commercialisation of research. The industry actors present also indicated an interest in sponsoring research chairs in the Unit. This was fully supported by Mrs. Rambarath-Parasram who underscored the need for dedicated research staff to answer to the applied research demands of the Industry.

On the issue of enhanced representation in international forums such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), it was suggested that the Maritime Services Division request that the IMO Regional Maritime Adviser share IMO documents with members of the industry to enable better representation.

The Committee is expected to meet twice per year, supported by sub-committees that would focus on distinct priority research areas.