The Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) hosted its annual CMU Industry Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica from 1st to 2nd October 2025, under the theme “Embracing the Blue Economy: Navigating the Future through Sustainable Development”.
The CMU is the Caribbean’s premier maritime training institution and a key partner institution of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for maritime training and education since 2014. Through scholarships offered by the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS) and the Port Authority, over 30 nationals have graduated from CMU with BSc in Marine Transportation or BSc in Marine Engineering.
Nationals trained through these programmes serve both at home in a regulatory or operational capacity for the ADOMS and the Port Authority as well as around the world aboard vessels of all sizes such as superyachts, cruise ships, cargo ships and tankers.
The conference was opened by greetings from Ambassador Dwight Gardiner, Director/Registrar General of ADOMS and Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the International Maritime Organization, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws from CMU in 2024.
The conference brings together regulators, industry and academia from across the Caribbean and North America to discuss critical issues for the region such as:
- Industry 4.0 applications for Caribbean development
- Climate-resilient practices in maritime operations
- Inclusive policies for indigenous communities and the sea
- Cutting-edge training and education models
- Economic analyses of shipping decarbonization
- Inter-agency strategies for blue economy governance
The Antigua and Barbuda delegation also includes other prominent local maritime experts who will lead various panels being held, including:
- Darwin Telemaque, CEO of the Port Authority and Chairman of the Port Managers Association of the Caribbean
- Cdr. Wayne Mykoo, Deputy Director – Maritime Affairs and External Relations, ADOMS
- Branson Belle, Executive Director of the Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy, UWI Five Islands Campus
- Ethan James, CEO of Green Energy Management Inc.
