Consulate General of Panama 
The General Directorate of Seafarers (DGGM), of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), becomes the first General Directorate of this important institution to be certified by the Bureau Veritas Certification company, after satisfactorily passing the External Audit conducted to its Quality Management System (QMS) based on the ISO 9001:2015 Standard.
Through this audit, the quality of the service provided was certified, while also reaffirming the commitment acquired by the present Administration to always lead with transparency, efficiently, and seeking the continuous improvement of all the services provided.
Included in this certification are the Regional Documentation Offices of: Seoul, Korea; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Miami, United States; London England; Manila, the Philippines, Piraeus, Greece, Shanghai-China and Mumbai-India, the last 2 offices being the ones that have this certification under the ISO 9001:2015 Standard for the first time.
In the period between July 2019 – November 2022, 114 updates were made and a total of 77 new documents have been raised, including forms, procedures, guides, manual instructions and matrices, which is of the utmost importance since these are related to the DGGM regulations, which contribute to maintaining high standards, optimizing internal processes and the continuous improvement of the Quality Management System in this general Directorate.
The Regional Manager of Bureau Veritas Panama, Jose Aurelio Chong pointed out that “this achievement also represents a great challenge for everyone, because it is necessary to maintain the system efficiently and contribute to its continuous improvement, let’s remember that successful organizations are those managed with quality, from its operation to its implemented standards, providing added value to its clients, in this case to seafarers, because the organization achieves a differentiation by being better prepared and equipped to gain new opportunities , where the AMP as worldwide flag leader,has consolidated itself in regards to its objectives with a view to customer satisfaction, in a global market that is very competitive”.
For his part, the Director of the DGGM, Captain Juan Maltez, expressed his pride to count with the commitment of his entire work team, which used its best effort to satisfactorily pass this audit, where compliance with the quality standards was verified. The DGGM Quality Management System certification established as the scope of its system, the regulation of maritime training activities carried out by authorized maritime training centers, recognition of the suitable physicians to issue medical certificates for seafarers and provision of certification services for seafarers who work on board Panamanian-flagged vessels”.
Bureau Veritas Certification is internationally recognized in the maritime certification field, with more than 121,000 certified companies worldwide. It has operations in 80 countries, reaching a total of 140 countries that receive its services, with more than 8,000 experienced auditors and more than 70 accreditations obtained by national and international organizations.
The deputy administrator of the AMP, Elvia Bustavino, the Director General of the DGMM, Captain Juan Maltez, and the Regional Operations Manager of the Marine Branch for North Latin America of Bureau Veritas Panama S.A., Jose, participated in the certification delivery ceremony. Aurelius Chong.
