Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Antigua and Barbuda

Ambassador Dwight Gardiner is currently the Director/Registrar-General of the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS) and the Antigua and Barbuda Ship Registry (2009 to present); Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the International Maritime Organization (2005 to present), the International Seabed Authority (2015 to present), the  Association of Caribbean States (2015 to present) and Chairman of the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding (CMOU) on Port State Control (2008 to present).

Ambassador Gardiner has been involved in the maritime sector of Antigua and Barbuda for over 30 years.  From 2004-2009, he was the Maritime Advisor to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda; Vice Chairman of the Caribbean MOU on Port State Control from 2003-2008; Deputy Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the IMO from 2003-2005; and Senior Deputy Director and Registrar of Ships of the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping from 1991 - 2003.

Ambassador Gardiner was also elected Vice Chairman of Committee 1 of the 25th Assembly of the IMO in 2007 and one of the Vice Presidents of the Diplomatic Conference of Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training and Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers, 1978, Manila, the Philippines, 21-25 June 2010 (STCW Manila Amendments 2010).

Ambassador Gardiner is an Attorney at Law, a Notary Public, and holds Associates of Science Degrees in Marine Technology and Marine Management with Distinction and also a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Technology with Honours majoring in Business Management and Marine Technology from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, USA. He also possesses a Master of Science Degree in Maritime Safety Administration (Nautical) from the World Maritime University in Sweden, a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom and a Legal Education Certificate from the Sir Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago.

Ambassador Gardiner is a Lieutenant Commander in the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard (Reserve), a Commissioner of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority, and has been accorded numerous awards nationally, regionally and internationally for his contributions to the international maritime industry.