Implementation Committee

A National Maritime Policy Implementation Committee was established to assist in the implementation of the National Maritime Policy Document. The Committee is chaired by the Reverend Angela Palacious.

The committee comprises of representatives of the following agencies:

• Antiquities Monuments & Museums Corporation
• Bahamas Customs Department
• Bahamas Maritime Authority
• Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems Centre
• Bahamas National Trust
• BEST Commission
• Department of Immigration
• Department of Labour
• Department of Lands and Surveys
• Department of Local Government
• Department of Marine Resources
• Department of Meteorology
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Financial Services
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of National Security
• Ministry of the Environment & Housing
• Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
• Ministry of Works
• National Development Plan Secretariat
• Office of the Attorney General & Ministry of Legal Affairs
• Office of the Prime Minister
• Port Department
• Royal Bahamas Defense Force
• Royal Bahamas Police Force
• University of The Bahamas

Non-Governmental Organisations

• Association of Bahamas Marinas
• LJM Maritime Academy
• The Nature Conservancy

Sub-Committees

In an effort to maximise efforts and resources relative to the implementation of the National Maritime Policy, the following sub-committees were established:

• Legal
• Education, Culture and Public Awareness
• Environment
• Economic
• Enforcement

Legal Sub-Committee: The overall objective of the Legal Sub-Committee is to provide the legal framework to support the four overall goals for the implementation of the national maritime policy. There has been a great deal of work done with maritime legislation in The Bahamas since the development of the National Maritime Policy..

Education, Culture and Public Relations Sub-Committee: The overall objective is to build capacity in the maritime sector and create training and business opportunities for Bahamians. The enhancement of training programs and opportunities is paramount in developing national capacity. The Education Sub-Committee is one of the most critical as it forms the basis for the development of the maritime industry. This Sub-Committee is in the process of reviewing and developing methods of distribution of maritime and marine related information and opportunities, via media platforms and maritime and marine related outreach programmes. The Education Sub-Committee is also assisting with the development of an NMPIC website.

Environment Sub-Committee: The overall objective of the Environment Sub-Committee is to research means to develop the ocean resources in a sustainable manner. The creation and establishment of policies and standards for the protection of the marine environment is also crucial.

Economic Sub-Committee: The primary mandate of the Economic Sub-Committee is to ensure that financial implications are taken into consideration with every aspect of the implementation of the National Maritime Policy. Cost and budgets must be prepared to ensure that the policy is effectively implemented. The economic subcommittee will also seek to minimise costs associated with the implementation of the National Maritime Policy.

The Enforcement Sub-Committee was established in 2017 to review matters related to enforcement issues identified in the National Maritime Policy. The National Maritime Policy matters to be reviewed by the Sub-Committee include: 

• Improved  monitoring,  compliance  and  enforcement  initiatives  at  sea  and  at  ports  of  entry/landing  sites; 
• Greater  integration  of  RBPF  and  RBDF  personnel  and  assets  into  maritime  surveillance  and  enforcement  activities; and 
• Effective  monitoring,  compliance  and  enforcement  with  respect  to  fishing  activities  across  The  Bahamas.