Noel Hylton, chairman and chief executive officer of the Port Authority of Jamaica, was recently honoured at the graduation of the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI). Below is the citation which was presented to Hylton.

Noel A. Hylton, OJ, Hon LLD, CD, JP, chairman and CEO, Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Honourable Doctor of Laws, CD and JP is much more than the history of shipping, not only in Jamaica, in the Caribbean but of as far afield as in Africa (Nigeria) and in the Fiji Islands. Any attempt at summarising the profile of this humble and illustrious son of Jamaica makes diminutive of the man's achievements and to attempt to present his profile in a matter of minutes belittles over 40 years of national, regional and international service to humanity.

National stature

A list of the institutions of national stature that have not been touched by the Honou-rable Hylton is hard to be established much less to write home about. In the time allowed, one can only adumbrate some of the areas in which the Honourable Hylton has impacted the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) in particular.

In 1993, and under the laws of Jamaica and within the Ministry of Public Utilities and Transport in accordance with the JMI Act 1992, the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) became the legal partners of the CMI. Here, in the legal context, is highlighted the direct involvement of the Hon Hylton, the chairman and CEO of the PAJ.

Beyond what is strictly legal, Hon Hylton's involvement spans the creation of employment opportunities for the trainees, enhanced industrial awareness for the graduates of the CMI, within the industry; support of the institute's programmes in cash and kind for the latter's growth and development.

Under his leadership and generosity, the CMI continues to benefit from the expertise of the staff of the PAJ. The PAJ has been indeed a god-father to the institute.

Illustrious career

The Honourable Doctor's illustrious career and association with shipping have not only shown the light for the industry to find its way but has 'helped the industry to find its ways'. As part of the industry, the CMI has been and continues to be a beneficiary of the Honourable Doctor's mission and vision. For that, we, at CMI, join the shipping and allied fraternity to pay tribute to the Honourable Hylton.

We use this unique occasion to publicly express the gratitude of the CMI to the Honourable Noel Hylton and to recognise his contribution to the growth and development of the institute and for his sterling contribution to the shipping industry in Jamaica.