NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Director of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Luigi Sinapi is making an Official Visit to The Bahamas from April 15 – April 19, 2024.

During his visit, the Director paid a courtesy call at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.  He met with the Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary, Jamahl Strachan, M.P. and Director General,  Jerusa Ali.

Directly, following the courtesy call, Mr. Sinapi met with Intra-Ministerial Stakeholders to discuss the benefits of The Bahamas joining the IHO.

He has been the director of the IHO for six years and is responsible for coordinating IHO’s programme.  Before becoming the Director of the IHO, Mr. Sinapi served as Director, Italian Hydrographic Institute from October 2015 to July 2020.  He also served in the Italian Naval Academy.

The IHO is an intergovernmental organization that works to ensure all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted. Established in 1921, it coordinates the activities of national hydrographic offices and promotes uniformity in nautical charts and documents. It issues survey best practices, provides guidelines to maximize the use of hydrographic survey data and develops hydrographic capabilities in Member States.

Pictured from left: Foreign Affairs Officer, Maritime and Ocean Affairs Bureau, Keesha Claudia Bethell; Director General, MFA, Jerusa Ali; Director of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Luigi Sinapi; Permanent Secretary, MFA, Melvin Seymour; Parliamentary Secretary, MFA, Jamahl Strachan, M.P. and Kimberley Lam, Head, Maritime and Ocean Affairs Bureau.  

(BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)