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Panama maritime personality Encarnacion Samaniego dies

Panama maritime personality Encarnacion Samaniego dies
Capt. Encarnacion Samaniego, former director of the International Merchant Marine of Belize [IMMARBE] from 2009 to 2013 and a personality in Panama maritime sector has died aged 58.

Samaniego who graduated as deck officer from Panama Nautical School and had a MBA in human resources and another in maritime Administration, was passionate by teaching and training pilots and tug masters at the then-Panama Canal Commission later the Panama Canal Authority where he worked for 13 years.

He would became general director of the seafarers department on two occasions, later as director of ports and auxiliary industries at the Panama Maritime Authority [AMP] and his major achievement at the AMP as he said at the time “was to having participate in the team that founded the long-overdue Maritime University” as a learning platform for the next generations. He would also be appointed for four years a member of the board of the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden.

Taking the helm of the Belize Registry in 2009 was particularly challenging as the shipping industry was in the middle of the worst economic crisis but he engaged in “cleaning” the register, changing the rules, beginning on-going training programmes for all technical personnel and staff and building a team that would modernise the register.

When the Belize government took over the register’s concession in 2013, Samaniego with 30-year experience founded the Maritime Affairs Group [MAG] offering ship-owners maritime consultancy services, registration of ships and seafarers’ certificates. A recognised voice for Panama maritime sector, he was also on the board of directors of the Panama Maritime Authority.