Question & Answer  with Mr. Mc Clean Hobson

Mc Clean Hobson, Director of Maritime Affairs for St Kitts and Nevis

Q:- The Department of Maritime Affairs has been in the headlines recently with regards to the need for everyone to give their names before boarding a ferry.  Before we get into that however, could you give us a summary as to why the Department of Maritime Affairs exists?

A: The Department of Maritime exists to ensure the safety and security of shipping as well the protection of the marine environment. The idea is, trade must take place in safe environment and essentially our job is to ensure that this environment is safe and secure at all times. If it is not, then it is likely that food will not reach your table. A typical example of lack of safety and insecurity of trade today, is off the coast of Somalia. Ever so often to hear ships trading are raided by pirates so that food items and passengers do not reach the final destination

 Q:- Could you list for us in simple terms what the Department of Maritime Affairs is responsible for?

A ; The Department is responsible for enforcing the Merchant shipping and maritime pollution acts to ensure the  safety and security of all St.Kitts and Nevis Flag vessels (flag state responsibility), safety and security of all foreign flag vessels (port state responsibility) and the conduct,  safety and  security of navigation in our Coastal waters (Coastal State responsibility).

 All these responsibilities came as a result of being a party to the UN Convention on the law of the Sea.

Q:-It has been reported in the local press that the need for passengers to give names was never discussed with the captains before it was implemented?  Is this true and could you explain what procedures were followed before the implementation? ~~Adz:Right~~

A:-. Of course that is not true. We spent January 7-11 speaking to all the Captains explaining the new measures and all were quite cooperative then. In fact, as it relates to the submission of names Capt.. Prince Mills indicated “ he would not have a problem on the Nevis end because he has a ticketing agent, but on the St.Kitts end it would be difficult because he and the other Captain was selling the tickets”. Capt. Skeete complimented the measure by indicated that “he was on scene with the Christina Disaster and he don’t believe that all were accounted for”.

What we were telling them, were not anything new. They all know about  these measures as they are in what you call the Small Commercial Vessel Code prepared for the Caribbean by the International Maritime Organization IMO. They all have copies for a long time now.

Having explained the need for the measures we indicated the time frame and subsequently wrote to them regarding their implementation.

While we thought that they would be implemented without any problems, some captains started criticizing openly. We thought that this was inappropriate. If they subsequently had concerns after January 11 or before the implementation date, there was enough time to give their feedback to the Department for further discussions. Instead some give their concerns about the measures to the media and we were force to use this medium to clarify our position on the matter.
 

Q:- Another argument advanced by a captain against the need for identification in the local press has been that it is only necessary to give your names when you are entering foreign waters?  Is there any other country like St Kitts Nevis where it is mandated that names are given before boarding the ferry?  

A:- That is not so, the matter of showing ID is implemented between Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, this measure is much more stringent there. Before you purchase your ticket you have to show your ID. When boarding you have to show it again and children cannot board without the presence of an adult. The names, I am told are recorded on the back of the Tickets

Q:- Could you explain again what was the reasoning behind the need for each passenger to give their names before boarding the vessel?

A:-.The primary  idea is  for proper accountability in the event of an emergency at sea. As much as things may seem OK now, its not going to be that way all the time every now and that we are going to have accidents and when they occur, The Department  must be in a position to give proper account of all  persons on board. There must not be any doubts.

Submission of names, proper ID and accountability would also help us to deploy the most suitable resources in emergency cases. You don’t want if a vessel for example has five persons on board to deploy the biggest rescue boat of the Coast Guard Fleet. This would cost the tax payers large sums.

Q:-If my memory serves me right, there was some talk of getting the legislature to pass as law the need for passengers to give their names before boarding a vessel.  How true is this and could you explain the need for legislation?

A:-This is correct. What we have indicated is that no matter what, these measures are critical for ultimate passenger safety and security and if the system does not work how it should, we would resort to legislative means. It would appear that we have being doing the wrong things and taking safety at sea for granted  for so long that now the right thing is coming, we are giving problems.  ~~Adz:Right~~

As much as you would like common sense to prevail in matters concerning safety and security at sea, some operators and ship owners can be very uncooperative even though they know the right thing. When this is the case, we have no choice but to use the law to get the cooperation that is required to keep crew and passengers safe.

No matter what the distance, things can go wrong as did with Christina and so many other passenger vessels that went down between St.Kitts and Nevis. Who will look out for the passengers?

Q:-What other bits of legislation would you like to see implemented moving forward directly related to the Department Of Maritime Affairs and why?

A:- There are a number of pieces legislation we would like to see in place all geared towards shipping safety but the priority for us right now is the following regulations.

Port State
Local Passenger
Small Commercial Vessel Code ( SCV)
Caribbean Cargo Small Ship Code (CCSS)
Maritime Pollution Act
Load line

An adequate legal frame work would help to enforce effectively. Just talking would not help.

Q:- The Department of Maritime Affairs is one of the newer departments of Government.  How does the department contribute in terms of revenue to government coffers?

A:.-. The Department of Maritime Affairs is also responsible for the proper working of the  St.Kitts and Nevis Ship Registry. In other words we are in the process of building the St.Kitts and Nevis Merchant Fleet; an opportunity which help us to transport world trade. When a ship is registered the owners pay certain fees which allows us to generate revenue while carrying out our maritime obligations as specified by IMO and other International Maritime organizations.  Some of these fees are paid annually. In this way we generate much needed foreign exchange. To date we have almost 600 ships proudly flying and advertising the St.Kitts and Nevis Flag in all corners of the globe.

Q:-Would you encourage young people to get involved in studying maritime affairs and what career opportunities exist in Maritime Affairs?

A:-Certainly this is one area that has been overlooked or taken for granted by many but without ships the global economy will come to a stand still. How will food reach your doors?

There must be enough people to handle the trade. In our case, we do not have the capacity hence it is my vision that sometime soon we will see a maritime wing at the CFBC college where our people can be trained for opportunities in the following maritime related fields: Ship Captains, Ship Engineers, Ship Agents, Ships Superintendents, Ship Managers, Ship Brokers, Port Managers, Ship Architects,  Ship Surveyors, Ship Inspectors, Maritime Lawyers,
 

Q:- If you were to live your life back over again, would you still decide to go into Maritime Affairs and why?

A:-.  Certainly. When you know that more than 90% of world trade is carried by ships my contribution as simple as it seems is to create a safe and secure environment for trade. No trade; no economy. No economy; no food on the table.

Q:- In three words, how would you briefly describe Mc Clean Hobson, the person?

A:- determined ,hardworking, focused.

Q:- What do you do in your spare time?  Can you share with us some of your hobbies or interests?

A:- Spending time with the family goes without saying, The better part of my time is   used for personal development and giving back to the community in my own little way. For example for the last 18 years I have been teaching adults and children how to swim every Saturday. Sometimes I think that I teach the whole of St.Kitts to swim. A little back yard cricket with my sons of course to keep the passion alive.

Q:- Is there anything else that you would like to say before we end this interview?

A:-  As the Department of Maritime Affairs  seek build the St.Kitts and Nevis merchant fleet to transport and generate revenue from world trade, a few persons cannot do the job. If we want to benefit we have to put in more. More man power, more money and more infrastructure. Ultimately I would like to see our own citizens handling our maritime interest in all parts of the globe.  In other words I would like them to be based in the UK , Dubai and the other regions.