This year’s Red Ensign Group (REG) maritime conference took place in Bermuda, of which representatives from St Helena had the opportunity to attend.   In attendance was Mia Henry (Head of Maritime), Wendy Benjamin (Maritime Capacity Building Support Officer) and Samantha Cherrett (Governor’s Office).

The conference programme comprised different forums and followed an agenda covering various topics relevant to St Helena’s maritime status, and our Flag, Port and Coastal State obligations. Topics this year also included hydrographic surveys, cyber threats and current global geopolitics.

Presentations on the International Maritime Organisations Instruments Implementation Code (III Code) audit was of particular interest whereby other REG members shared their experiences and the nature of their audit findings, which were not too dissimilar to St Helena’s experience.  It was shown that there are some common themes and that even the bigger territories with more resources than St Helena, have the same challenges. St Helena underwent the III Code audit back in February 2025 and is actively addressing the findings.

The South Atlantic Working Group (SAWG) once again came together to discuss in detail the more bespoke challenges faced in our part of the world and included mass rescue operations, fishing vessels, cruise ship operations and contingency plans in response to the recent hantavirus situation.  The SAWG comprises Ascension, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena and has proven very beneficial and worthwhile for sharing of information, challenges and support to progressing our maritime administrations.

Most notable was the discussions and presentations referencing lack of capacity, across all the Overseas Territories and the gain of transferable skills from careers in maritime. Wendy Benjamin delivered a presentation within the capacity building forum, outlining what St Helena is doing to tackle this issue and what we hope to achieve in way of promoting maritime, facilitating training through our maritime training centre and creating career paths for young people.

Having these discussions and making connections with other Overseas Territories and maritime organisations across the REG are vital for gaining the much-needed support that will enable us to progress our maritime agenda and improve adherence to international maritime laws.

Note to Editors

The Red Ensign Group (REG) is a collaboration of British Shipping Registers consisting of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey, and Jersey), and nine British Overseas Territories, including St Helena.

As a member of the REG, St Helena operates its own shipping register under the oversight of the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This ensures that all St Helena-flagged vessels adhere to high international maritime standards of safety, security, and environmental pollution prevention, while benefitting from the global prestige, support, and protection of the British merchant fleet.

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