The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A “one of a kind” maritime training academy will, over the next few years, “turn the apple cart upside down” and make major inroads into creating maritime career opportunities for young Bahamians, its president believes.

Dr Brendamae Cleare, president of the Lowell J Mortimer Maritime Academy, in a recent interview with Tribune Business said the $25 million project on Crystal Cay would play an integral part in growing Bahamian participation in the sector.

“I can easily see the maritime industry becoming a number one industry. Many countries are getting into tourism, and we also see that a lot of banks are pulling out. The maritime industry is already the third largest because of shipping, the registering of the ships and its contribution to our national economy,” said Dr Cleare.

“We we look at the whole market, and particularly the seafarers, the Caribbean is less than 2 per cent. The demand out there is very high for seafarers.The Bahamas has on its shipping registry over 1,600 ships, and if we can put two people on each of these ships, that is work for 3,200 young people. We could certainly grow on that number.”

Dr Cleare said the LJM Maritime Academy would initially take on 50-55 students. “It’s a work study programme,” she said.

“They will do the work study and make a contribution to their education. Once they have done this, we will put them on a vessel. What we are hoping is that at the end of our graduation we have a vessel for all 50-55 students. Moving forward, our maximum number would probably be 110 at one time,” said Dr Cleare.

Addressing the progress of the academy’s development, Dr Cleare explained: “The bidding process is over, and we are at the part of the process whereby we are looking now at actually moving forward with a contractor.

“We should probably have something signed within the next week or two.

In terms of the work we have excavated the land because the land was purchased over a year ago.”

Dr Cleare added: “We are looking to have three state-of-the-art buildings, mainly an administrative building, which would house classrooms, the administrators and teachers. We are also going to have state-of-the-art simulators, including a maritime fire training simulator. All of the classrooms are going to be high tech. We’re looking at an e-library as well.

“We think that over the next few years we will turn the apple cart upside down. We see this as an opportunity for young people to get into the maritime world and really change the industries as we see them. After the first year the students will actually go to sea, and that’s immediate entry into the workforce. This programme intends to be one of its kind.”