The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Domínguez, made an official visit to the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP ), following his first official mission to the country after taking office in January 2024.
Domínguez was welcomed by Engineer Luis Roquebert, General Administrator of the AMP , along with the institution's board of directors and deputy directors. "I am very happy for this visit. It is an institution that is very close to my heart because I worked there for more than 20 years," emphasized the IMO Secretary-General.
The central event of the visit was the discussion "Women's Empowerment in the Maritime Sector: A Call to Action for Training, Visibility, Recognition, and Sustainable Development."
The meeting highlighted the need to continue promoting female participation in an industry historically dominated by men. This event not only highlighted the value of providing greater training and leadership opportunities for women, but also the importance of highlighting their contributions and ensuring a level playing field in the maritime sector, a key sector for the global economy. The IMO and the AMP agreed that promoting gender equality is essential to strengthening the sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness of international maritime activity.
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The conference was attended by the Secretary General, Rina Berrocal, Deputy Director General of the Merchant Marine; Marta Aparicio, Director General of the Public Registry of Ship Ownership; and Pilar Castillo, Vice President of the Panama Chamber of Shipping.
"I enjoyed hearing the perspectives and options, as well as how they are working to improve and demonstrate the efficiency of the world's largest registry in terms of the number of flagged vessels," Domínguez said at the end of the event.
This official visit is part of the IMO Secretary-General's extensive agenda in Panama, which has included important meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Panama Canal Authority (AMP), the International Maritime University of Panama, and maritime industry associations, where he is promoting priority issues of his tenure at the helm of the organization.
