PANAMA AND PERU STRENGTHEN RELATIONS IN THE MARITIME FIELD.

The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) and the National Maritime Authority of Peru signed an Inter-institutional Agreement that seeks mutual recognition of the training and certification of seafarers, in accordance with Rule I/10 of the International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW’78 Convention, as amended).

This Agreement seeks, among other purposes, to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation that unite the Republic of Panama and the Republic of Peru, in addition to strengthening cooperation and improving standards in the maritime, port and logistics fields.

The signing of this agreement was made during the 129th session of the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), at the headquarters of this important Organization in London.

The signatories were, on behalf of the AMP, the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Noriel Arauz, and on behalf of the Peruvian Maritime Authority, the General Director of the Directorate of Captaincies and Coast Guards of the Navy (DICAPI), Ernesto Colunge Pinto.

Minister Arauz pointed out that “it is important to highlight that the achievement of the development and dynamism of the International maritime trade in a globalized system requires the commitment of the countries and the states parties to the adoption of rules and standards that regulate the maritime sector, the implementation of controls, mechanisms and processes for the efficient and effective application of these provisions, and above all the promotion of education, training and level of competence of seafarers, as the guarantor of quality maritime transport, in compliance with the international standards established by the IMO through the STCW’78 Convention, as amended”.

This important alliance will consent to the reciprocal recognition of competency titles and certificates of proficiency issued by the AMP, in accordance with the STCW’78 Agreement, as amended, which will allow Panamanian seafarers to serve on board ships registered under the flag of the Republic of Peru, promoting the national workforce and, in turn, strengthening technical cooperation ties.

Previously, last week, to refine the details of this MOU, the AMP carried out a work visit in the Republic of Peru, where various issues of mutual interest were addressed, among which the following stand out:

• The signing of the bilateral agreement under Rule I/10 of the STCW’78 Agreement, as amended, for the mutual recognition of seafarers’ titles.
• Cooperation on issues of maritime training, information exchange and operations.
• Relations were strengthened and the future signing of an academic Memorandum of Understanding for the promotion of job opportunities for Panamanian seafarers was discussed.
• We met with the international shipping company specialized in the transport of liquefied gases, oil and chemical products, TRANSGAS, which currently has 17 ships, where Panamanian officers and captains are embarked.
• We met with the senior management of the shipping company Transoceánica S.A., a leading shipping company in Peru, dedicated to the transportation of crude oil, refined products, chemical products, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Soon 2 of its ships will be entering the dry dock of the Balboa Shipyard (ASTIBAL), located on the Panamanian Pacific side.