THE matter of Jamaica and its effort to become the fourth global logistics hub after Rotterdam in The Netherlands, Singapore in Asia and Dubai in Arabia, is to move onto the front burner again this week with the observance of World Maritime Day on Saturday.

High up on the week’s agenda will be the World Maritime Day Industry Dinner put on by the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC) to mark its inaugration at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel on Thursday.

Patricia Francis, Chairperson of the National Facilitation Committee will give the keynote address on the subject of “Facilitation: the Imperatives for Jamaica as an Emergent Logistics Hub”.

There has been some movement in recent times towards becoming the fourth global logistics hub. In 2014, Jamaica moved up in the Logistic Performance index, from postion 124 to 70. The index considers areas such as infrastructure, international shipments, logistics and tracking, tracing of containers and the ease of dealing with customs.

In April, French company CMA/CGM signed a concession agreement with Jamaica under which it will invest US$600 million to upgrade and expand Kingston Container Terminal (KCT) and operate it for 30 years, as well as spend US$130 million to dredge Kingston Harbour.

The company subsequently entered an agreement with the Port of Mariel near Havana in Cuba, considered a major potential competitor for the Kingston port. But the company says the Cuban agreement is designed only to better serve the Cuban domestic market and is part of its strategy to develop its supply chain capabilities.

Meanwhile, there have been few public announcements over the proposed controversial development of Clarendon’s Goat Islands or the development of nearby Vernamfield as a cargo airport. Nor has much more been heard about the status of the due diligence that was to be performed after government signed an MOU with Krauck Systems and Anchor Finance Group for a $5 billion investment.

The dinner on Thursday may see some of these issues addressed. WiMAC expects some 150 invitees including government ministers, policy makers and entities from the maritime sector as well as the broader private sector. Sponsors include the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Caribbean Maritime Institute, Aegean Bunkering, Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, West Indies Petroleum, Lannaman and Morris Shipping Ltd, Port Authority of Jamaica/Kingston Container Terminal, Petrojam Ltd, Gateway Shipping international Ltd, Airports Authority of Jamaica, Kingston Wharves Ltd and Jamaica Producers Ltd.

WiMAC was launched in April under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization, with the participation of 14 Caribbean countries and is committed to increasing the performance, participation and contribution of women in the maritime sector.

The objectives of the organisation include:

* The promotion of the maritime sector as a viable career option

* Mentoring of women in the sector

* Motivating and empowering women in the sector through training and development initiatives

* Providing a forum for networking, exchange of ideas and initiatives on industry development through the hosting of development platforms, conferences and seminars

* Fostering a Caribbean research agenda and building a body of knowledge and best practices on the maritime sector

The vision of WiMAC is to become a key resource for the sustainable development of the maritime sector of the Caribbean. The Association is committed to increasing the performance, participation and contribution of women in the maritime sector.

Other highlights of the World Maritime Week include a church service today at the Fellowship Tabernacle and an academic conference on “Last Mile Logistics” at the Conference Centre.