From a class of 33 lawyers from 25 countries, the Jamaican representative, Vannessia Stewart, has received the prize for Best Overall Performance at the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta.
Legal Officer of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) Stewart, who was a participant in IMLI’s 25th Master of Laws programme (LLM), also graduated with distinction. She received her award from Mr Koji Sekimizu, Secretary General of the IMO and Chancellor of IMLI.
The IMLI 25th Master of Laws program began in October 2013. The program is a specialized post-graduate course in International Maritime Law and consists of post-graduate education in all areas of international maritime law, including marine environment, shipping and Law of the Sea.
"Pursuing the course at IMLI was a wonderful, although challenging experience. Challenging on account of being in the presence of such imminent international maritime law experts and arduous due to the diverse curriculum to which we were exposed. It was exciting, however, because I was part of a unique opportunity and at a special moment. Fortuitously, IMLI was celebrating its 25th anniversary and I was one of the many applicants to have been given the opportunity to be part of the Institute’s ‘silver’ year,” Stewart said.
IMLI was established in 1988 by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to help ensure that sufficient maritime law experts, with appropriate knowledge and skills, would be available, particularly for developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
“The Maritime Authority of Jamaica congratulates Ms. Stewart on her achievement. Her training will be of tremendous benefit to the organization and to Jamaica , especially in the area of bills of lading and the liabilities surrounding the carriage of goods by sea which are critical element of the Global Logistics Hub framework,” said Bertrand Smith, MAJ Director of Legal Affairs.