President says he is proud over shipping performance

In such a challenging year, with an everchanging landscape of rules and regulations, I could not be prouder of the Shipping Industry’s performance, its contribution to the Cyprus Economy and its vital role to the society during the pandemic, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said.

“It has never been clearer how much Shipping contributes to this country,” President Anastasiades told the Cyprus Shipping Chamber’s 33rd Annual General Meeting in address read out by Deputy Minister for Shipping, Vassilis Demetriades.

According to Anastasiades, the contribution of Shipping to the economy of Cyprus remains very significant. “The Government of Cyprus is well aware that through Shipping, Cyprus has distinguished itself by achieving remarkable international ranking and recognition far beyond its size and boundaries,” he added.

He also noted that the Cyprus Shipping Chamber has been successfully serving Cyprus Shipping since its establishment back in 1989 and it should feel proud for setting up a very important professional organisation with active involvement in the formulation of the Government’s shipping policy, and its contribution towards the growth of the Cyprus ship registry and the local shipping industry.

Anastasiades said that the recent election the Chamber’s President, Themis Papadopoulos, as Vice President of the International Chamber of Shipping and at the same period, the election of its immediate past President, Philippos Philis as the first Cypriot Shipowner to be elected to the European Community Shipowners’ Association, “clearly demonstrates the international recognition that the Chamber enjoys amongst its peers.”

He assured that the implementation of the Shipping national strategy is one of the most important priorities of the Government. Especially the creation of “One- Stop Shipping-Centre” at the Shipping Deputy Ministry.

“Our ambition is to be a step ahead of competition at any time, both as an international registry and as a base for international shipping operations,” the President said.

On her part, Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives said “shipping is a solid foundation on which the Cypriot economy has been historically built,” adding “this is only natural, due to Cyprus’s geographic position at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa.”

“Ongoing international developments have also accentuated the need to ensure a strong and stable shipping environment in the area of the Eastern Mediterranean, where commerce and transit are inherent and ever-increasing,” she said, noting that “Cyprus is also an essential pillar of cooperation with neighbouring countries, in the context of the tripartite cooperation mechanisms that Cyprus and Greece have established with countries of the region.”

“These developments provide further incentives for growth to our maritime sector,” she said.

The House Speaker stressed that Cyprus has today one of the largest commercial fleets worldwide, and the shipping sector is still expanding, while Limassol is considered to be the largest third-party ship management centre in the European Union.

“These achievements are the result of hard work of businesses and companies engaged in shipping, as well as of the continuously growing services sector in Cyprus. Shipping has a great contribution to our national economy and is an important revenue source for our country,” she said, adding that “this acquired momentum must be preserved and enhanced and I remain confident for the determination of all those involved to further entrench the role of Cyprus as a global player in shipping.”