November 2013
| Business World Magazine | 113
“To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and
sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor,”
once said Oliver Wendell Holmes. Such sentiments on the sig-
nificance of progress not only apply to sailors striving to reach
a port, but also relate to those tasked with the management
of port operations. For 25 years, one organization has dutifully
served to unite Caribbean-based port managers and support
the achievement of solutions that result in greater operational
efficiency and economic sustainability.
In 1988, through the auspices of a Canada-based company, Novaport
International Consultants Limited, the Port Management Associa-
tion of the Eastern Caribbean was established. Originally designed
to serve as a forum that enabled port managers to address issues and
concerns confronting the industry, members soon realized that with
the changing times, there was need to create closer regional ties. This
resolve ultimately led to the development of a new purposed organi-
zation recognized today as the Port Management Association of the
Caribbean (PMAC), which currently consists of 14 member ports
within 12 regional territories. Since its inaugural meeting in Anti-
