CHAIRMAN of the Shipping Association of Guyana (SAG), and bauxite industry marketing veteran, Desmond Sears, is now the Consul-General of the Kingdom of Norway in Guyana. He received his Exequatur, this being the official instrument of recognition by the Guyana Government, on February 1, 2013, from Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues–Birkett.
As Consul General, his key role is to act as facilitator and conduit while seeing to the interests of Norwegians in Guyana, and giving guidance to Guyanese preparing to visit the Scandinavian country for leisure, work or study.
“I am now the first source of contact to ensure that all documentation for visa applications are in place before they are couriered to the closest Norwegian embassy located in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia,” Sears told the Guyana Chronicle. Another role of his is to offer guidance on Online visa applications and related processes.
At this stage of the game, Sears said, direct economic relations between Guyana and Norway is still in its infancy, and while the internationally acclaimed Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is currently being managed at the government-to-government level, he sees himself playing a key role in this programme in the not-too-distant future.
The Norwegian government is the key patron for Guyana’s ground-breaking initiative with an historic Forest Climate Services Agreement signed some three years ago. To date, Guyana has received US$115M of the US$250M that Norway has committed to the programme.
In the field of education, however, relations with Norway predate the 1980s, with Sears being the second Guyanese to be offered a Fellowship, in 1978, by the international aid agency, NORAD, to pursue a Diploma in Professional Shipping. The first was Sherman Thomas, who, like he, worked in the International Marketing Department of the now defunct Bauxite Industry Development Company (BIDCO).
As part of the Fellowship programme, Sears interned with the Torvald Klaveness Group of Companies that was then involved in shipping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Guyana’s calcine, metal and chemical-grade bauxite originating from the plants at Linden and Everton, in Berbice, to markets around the world.
It was this same Norwegian company that established GUYBULK in the 1970s. GUYBULK was a joint-ventureship between BIDCO and Bulk-handling A/S of Norway, which latter company operated the bauxite transshipment terminal in the Georgetown harbour for several years.
Apart from general services (bulk-handling and ship supply), GUYBULK served as the key facilitator, providing opportunities for overseas maritime-related training in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, and elsewhere.
A significant number of Guyanese benefitted from the skills training programmes on offer, including seafarers and on-shore management and non-management personnel.
Sears has had a long history with the Kingdom of Norway, as does his predecessor, Mr. Lance Carberry, who held the post of Consul-General for approximately 18 years, beginning in 1995.
As the Executive Director of Delmur Company Ltd., he continues to apply his well tested expertise in shipping. Delmur acts as agent for vessels calling to port here for bauxite at both Linden and Berbice. He said he is inordinately pleased to have been deemed worthy by the government of Norway, a country known far and wide as “The Land of Vikings” and “The Land of the Midnight Sun”.
Norway, the northernmost nation in Europe, is primarily a jagged expanse of islands and fjords, with curiously indistinct cultural nuances. Its major economic activities and exports are all tied into the maritime industry.
Sears is deeply grateful to the Guyana Government for acceding to Norway’s request, and stands ready to commit his efforts to enhancing the fruitful relationships existing between the two countries.
As Consul General, his key role is to act as facilitator and conduit while seeing to the interests of Norwegians in Guyana, and giving guidance to Guyanese preparing to visit the Scandinavian country for leisure, work or study.
“I am now the first source of contact to ensure that all documentation for visa applications are in place before they are couriered to the closest Norwegian embassy located in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia,” Sears told the Guyana Chronicle. Another role of his is to offer guidance on Online visa applications and related processes.
At this stage of the game, Sears said, direct economic relations between Guyana and Norway is still in its infancy, and while the internationally acclaimed Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is currently being managed at the government-to-government level, he sees himself playing a key role in this programme in the not-too-distant future.
The Norwegian government is the key patron for Guyana’s ground-breaking initiative with an historic Forest Climate Services Agreement signed some three years ago. To date, Guyana has received US$115M of the US$250M that Norway has committed to the programme.
In the field of education, however, relations with Norway predate the 1980s, with Sears being the second Guyanese to be offered a Fellowship, in 1978, by the international aid agency, NORAD, to pursue a Diploma in Professional Shipping. The first was Sherman Thomas, who, like he, worked in the International Marketing Department of the now defunct Bauxite Industry Development Company (BIDCO).
As part of the Fellowship programme, Sears interned with the Torvald Klaveness Group of Companies that was then involved in shipping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Guyana’s calcine, metal and chemical-grade bauxite originating from the plants at Linden and Everton, in Berbice, to markets around the world.
It was this same Norwegian company that established GUYBULK in the 1970s. GUYBULK was a joint-ventureship between BIDCO and Bulk-handling A/S of Norway, which latter company operated the bauxite transshipment terminal in the Georgetown harbour for several years.
Apart from general services (bulk-handling and ship supply), GUYBULK served as the key facilitator, providing opportunities for overseas maritime-related training in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, and elsewhere.
A significant number of Guyanese benefitted from the skills training programmes on offer, including seafarers and on-shore management and non-management personnel.
Sears has had a long history with the Kingdom of Norway, as does his predecessor, Mr. Lance Carberry, who held the post of Consul-General for approximately 18 years, beginning in 1995.
As the Executive Director of Delmur Company Ltd., he continues to apply his well tested expertise in shipping. Delmur acts as agent for vessels calling to port here for bauxite at both Linden and Berbice. He said he is inordinately pleased to have been deemed worthy by the government of Norway, a country known far and wide as “The Land of Vikings” and “The Land of the Midnight Sun”.
Norway, the northernmost nation in Europe, is primarily a jagged expanse of islands and fjords, with curiously indistinct cultural nuances. Its major economic activities and exports are all tied into the maritime industry.
Sears is deeply grateful to the Guyana Government for acceding to Norway’s request, and stands ready to commit his efforts to enhancing the fruitful relationships existing between the two countries.
