On March 22, 2019, the newly developed project/initiative iASPIRE International’s Project Blue, facilitated by Ms. Leneka Rhoden, Kingston and St. Andrew’s 2018 Festival Queen, was launched in the FESTO auditorium at the Caribbean Maritime University.

The project identifies and seeks to use all avenues geared at minimizing and ultimately eliminating marine litter that makes its way to the Kingston Harbor. The launch had guests from the environmental group Nuh Dutty up Jamaica, representatives from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, Ms. Sonja Smith from the Office of the Governor General, the principal of Gaynstead High School, the Centre for Blue Economy and Innovation (Caribbean Maritime University), students and project volunteers.

CBEI, one of the centres at the Caribbean Maritime University aims at being the hub of all things related to and strikes a balance among the major ocean industries.

When asked to partner with iAspire, there was no hesitation to support given that the goal of each entity overlap. The Centre for Blue Economy and Innovation (CBEI), highlights the need for sustainable practices that impact our ocean and watersheds. CBEI makes use of innovation and employs a multi-faceted approach to tackle the issues.

Champions of the Sea

Executive Director Ambassador Joachim Schmillen was the keynote speaker. He gave a thorough and informative presentation on the centre’s visions and upcoming projects. In his presentation, he highlighted projects that the centre is actively exploring. The “Champions of the Sea”, namely the Jamaican Red Mangrove Oyster (in its capacity for water cleaning) and the Jamaican Red Mangrove (in its capacity of being most efficient in carbon absorption and coastal protection).

Projects and Initiatives of the Centre of Blue Economy

Additionally, ideas stemming from the need for quick action in combatting shoreline degradation through the rehabilitation of the Hellshire beach and controlling marine plastics through the use of our very own JAMBIN. The centre in its partnership with this initiative will donate a JAMBIN, engineered by the centre’s research assistant.

The JAMBIN is similar to the seabin, a floating device that rids sea surface of floating marine plastics and other debris.

This partnership will strongly highlight the need for many more like it, projects aimed at cleaning and keeping our waterways, watersheds and oceans garbage free. The social and economic impacts of pollution are significant, and in order to move forward and achieve Sustainable Goal 14 primarily, we must act now collectively.