MAMLA'S COFFEE CUP WAS ILLUMINATED IN BLUE

On September 30, as part of the celebration of World Maritime Day and the invitation of the IMO Secretary General to illuminate in blue the organizations that are closely related to the maritime sector, Red MAMLa, as a gesture of identity and awareness to such an important date, joined this initiative, to honor the Seafarers who during the current pandemic have become heroes of the sea.

This is one of the initiatives aimed at increasing the visibility of Seafarers and the invaluable role they play now and will continue to play in the future; and it is in honor of this work that our cups were illuminated in blue to start a new Coffee with MAMLa.

The event began with the opening remarks of our Vice President, Julissa Cordones and the Welcome Speech by Paula Pérez, President of the Association, who endorsed the sentiment that unifies this meeting: "To commemorate and value the experiences of the Seafarers".

On this occasion, 8 panelists participated in a talk session that was initiated by Laura Carballo Piñeiro, Professor of Maritime Law and Policy of the NIPPON Foundation Spain, who pointed out that the States must elaborate a binding treaty in times of pandemic, which establishes a balance of equilibrium in the health of the Seafarers, since they must work to guarantee better living conditions for the performance of arduous work on board.

After this, under the moderation of Debora Valera, Director of the External Relations and International Cooperation Committee, Module 1: "Experiences of Seafarers" began with the participation of Genesis Rojas (Panama) - Nautical Engineer in Navigation and Paloma Montero (Dominican Republic) - Petty Officer Svitzer, who shared part of their experiences on board a ship, from a gender perspective that raises awareness of the challenging role of maritime women, especially in times of pandemics.

This was followed by Module 2: "Good Business Practices" with the participation of Jorge Arevalos (Paraguay) Port Facilities Protection Officer and Security Director of Port Caacupe -Mí and Fránzel Rafael (Dominican Republic) Deputy Manager of Safety, Health and Environment of Hit Puerto Río Hainaente, who generated contributions as to what to do and how to address the problems generated by the global pandemic in the work on board the ships, emphasizing the importance of putting into practice effective protocols that favor the maritime sector and its evolution.

Finally, in Module 3: "Lessons learned from States", Carlos Avelar (Guatemala) Director of Port Security of the National Port Commission of Guatemala, Flor Pitty (Panama) General Director of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime Industries Maritime Authority of Panama and Maite Duque (Venezuela) President Venezuelan Society of Maritime Medicine, from the experiences lived in each of their countries, provided guidance on the process of adaptation and management of the crews on board during this pandemic. They highlighted the importance of the use of technology as information support, the adaptation of innovative protocols together with an effective communication with the corresponding organizations and, in short, an action based on prevention and mitigation in order to be able to open the maritime borders.

This was how a new version of Café con MAMLa came to an end, a session full of great teachings, experiences and emotions that brought us together in commemoration of World Maritime Day and that summarize and validate our motto: "The sea unites us".

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