Carolyn Graham receives the inaugural Pierre Leonard Award for the top female student from Efthimios Mitropoulos, chancellor of the World Maritime University and secretary general of the International Maritime Organisation. - Contributed photos
Carolyn Graham, public relations officer at the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), has returned to the island with a top French prize, having completed her masters degree in maritime affairs, specialising in maritime education and training from the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden.
Graham, who left the island 17 months ago, having received the prestigious Sasakawa Fellowship from the Nippon Foundation of Japan, received the Pierre Leonard prize for the top-female student, an award initiated by the French Friends of the WMU.
She was one of three students to receive a distinction in a class of 100.
"I am pleased to have been awarded this prize, somewhat of a reward for braving the distance and the cold weather. The programme was somewhat challenging, particularly the technical aspects of navigation and ship engineering, which I was meeting for the first time. In the end, however, it was all worthwhile and the award was the icing on the cake," said Graham.
Graham graduates a full-fledged Sasakawa Fellow, joining a worldwide alumni of over 300 persons. The fellowship is administered by the Ocean Policy Research Foundation, Japan.
Third Jamaican toget scholarship
She is the third Jamaican and Caribbean national to receive the fellowship. Navy Captain George Reynolds and Lieutenant Paul Wright of the Jamaica Defence Force and the Coastguard, respectively, are the other two Jamaicans who were awarded the fellowship.
The WMU was established in 1983 by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to conduct specialised training in maritime affairs toward the objectives of the IMO to ensure that safe, secure and environmentally responsible use of maritime resources are met worldwide.
The WMU is hosted by the government of Sweden, vís-a-vís the city of Malms, which provides many amenities to the students, free of cost. To date, close to 100 nationals of Caribbean countries, including 26 Jamaicans, have graduated from the WMU.
Michael Bernard (right), president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), in conversation with James C. McKenna, president and chief executive officer of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), during a break in meetings at the Terminal Operating Conference Americas, which was held in Long Beach, California, United States, last week.
PMA and the SAJ share many similarities, among them the role of negotiating labour agreements on behalf of shipping industry employers.
McKenna was bringing Bernard up to date on the successful conclusions of negotiations leading to a new master contract for US West Coast Ports.
The SAJ concluded its own negotiations with the unions representing portworkers earlier this year.
