Panamanian-born Selena Jones recently started as an entrepreneur in the maritime world. After working at the Panamanian Consulate for 11 years, she now developed her own seafarer registration platform called ‘Seaman Solutions’.
“I was born in Panama and lived there until I was 20. Then I started studying International Relations and Business Administration in the United States,” Selena Jones says. She ended up in Belgium because she got a position at the Consulate of Panama in Antwerp 11 years ago. “There was a nice vacancy for a maritime business developer based at the Consulate of Panama in Antwerp, located close to the port of course.”
Close friendships
For Jones, it was nevertheless a bit of an adjustment in Belgium. “Belgians are quite closed-minded. You first have to get to know someone to be accepted in a certain group,” she reflects. “But, once you belong to the group, the friendships are very close and last a long time. In Panama, and certainly in the United States, it’s actually just the opposite.”
In early March 2024, she took leave from the Panama Consulate to focus fully on‘Seaman Solutions‘. That a platform she developed herself that allows seafarers to apply for their certification online – anywhere in the world.
“Applying for such certification involves bureaucratic and complex procedures,” she explains. “Our platform simplifies that and guides seafarers and recruitment companies in applying for their crew’s flag state certification. Traditionally, this was a very time-consuming process for crew management companies and agencies.”
Customer experience is most important
While working in the maritime sector, the seed of her business idea was planted. “As a maritime officer at the consulate, I came into contact with a lot of people and was involved in various projects,” she says. “I saw that a lot of processes could be automated. But, as you can imagine, this is a bit more difficult in government than in a private company. In recent years, I was also able to build a very large network in the maritime sector, which also definitely helped me.”
“Initially, I started looking at already available software, on which I was then able to install certain forms as a plugin,” she continues. “With my own savings, I set up a platform and hired a small team. I am extremely proud of that,” she says. “I am also very proud of the five-star reviews the platform is getting today. People often react with surprise that our platform exists, but the reviews are often the deciding factor for partnerships or collaborations. Sometimes people think reviews are not important, but they are: the customer experience is the most important thing.”
To grow, Jones brought ITCT on board as a partner. “They really believed in the concept. That resulted in the custom-made software we use today. The advantage is that it is very scalable and we can grow with the customer. That happens very organically. Meanwhile, through our platform, we also offer training courses that seafarers need for certain jobs.”
Speed of innovation
Jones is married and has two children. “One day I would love to go back to South America. Although I am having a great time in Belgium, and the country offers so many professional opportunities, I still miss South America… the people, the food, the weather,” she says. “What I love most in Belgium professionally is the speed of innovation. That is exactly what I am doing and so I can develop the solutions that are needed from here. One of the biggest advantages of Belgium is that there are so many highly educated people,” she concludes.
