The Cyprus Shipping Chamber is the trade association of the Shipping Industry in Cyprus. Having witnessed considerable growth since its establishment in 1989, originally under the name Cyprus Shipping Council, with seventeen Founding Members, the Chamber today comprises all the major shipowning, shipmanagement and shipping related companies based in Cyprus. The Members of the Chamber own and/or manage from Cyprus, 2111 vessels exceeding 42 million gross tons, thus making it one of the largest national shipping associations in the world.
The main purpose of the Chamber is:
"...promoting the interests of Cyprus Shipping and furthering the reputation of the Cyprus flag, whilst promoting and protecting the interests of its Members both nationally and internationally..."
Since its formation, the Chamber has become an influential body in local maritime affairs and today no policy decisions concerning shipping matters are taken by the Government without consulting the Council. This has been achieved through the participation of the Chamber at numerous joint working groups or ad-hoc committees with various Government Departments, and in particular the Ministry of Communications and Works and its Department of Merchant Shipping, with which the Council maintains excellent relations. Furthermore, the Chamber is regularly called to appear before Parliamentary Committees as the representative body of the Cyprus Shipping Industry, when matters affecting shipping are discussed at the House of Representatives.
In all its dealings with the various Ministries and Departments, the Chamber's primary objective is to assist the Government at all levels to adapt new and existing laws, policies and procedures to the needs of the Cyprus fleet and the resident Shipping Industry in a world which is more competitive and at the same time more conscious of the need to raise quality, improve safety and protect the environment. An example of the Chamber's co-operation with the Government is the active participation in the continuous harmonisation of Cyprus with the EU Acquis.
The Chamber has also established a close co-operation with other private sector and semi-governmental organisations, such as the Cyprus Shipping Association, the Cyprus Ports Authority, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, the Cyprus International Businesses Association, the Cyprus Association of Certified Public Accountants, the Cyprus Bar Association, the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association, the Seafarers Unions, and many others. In addition, the Chamber is a member of the Cyprus Industrialists and Employers Federation and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and regularly participates in their Board of Directors meetings.
The Chamber operates as a roving ambassador of Cyprus Shipping abroad, through its membership and active participation in the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Shipping Federation (ISF), the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO). Members of the Chamber also regularly participate in many international meetings, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the European Union (EU) meetings in Geneva, London and Brussels and in a number of their Committees, where the Chamber functions as consultant to the Government representatives.
As a result of this involvement, the Chamber is able to offer its Members, a constant source of up-to-date legislative, technical and commercial shipping information, and more importantly, operates as a lobby group for the promotion of the legitimate interests of its Member-companies, on a national as well as international level.
An aspect of the Chamber's efforts to improve the local maritime infrastructure that deserves special mention is the establishment of an Employment and Training Scheme for Office Personnel. Since 1993, suitably qualified school-leavers as well as existing staff of the Chamber's Member-companies are enrolled in courses administered by the Chamber, which lead to recognised qualifications of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in London. A Branch of the Institute came into being in 1996 in Cyprus, which the Chamber co-operates closely with in the administration of the courses called "Tutorship" and "Understanding Shipping". We have no doubt that by encouraging more young and well-trained people to enter the local maritime industry, we will have laid strong foundations for the development of a maritime tradition that will promote quality and safety.
The Chamber's intention in the years to come is to continue to serve its Members both nationally and internationally whilst at the same time promoting and enhancing the Cyprus flag as a registry that is prepared and willing to shoulder its international responsibilities with respect to quality shipping, marine safety and protection of the environment. Also, the Chamber aims to further improve the Cyprus Shipping infrastructure, establish better cooperation with the Government Ministries, Parliament and other professional bodies, enhance activities at international shipping organisations, and play an important role in national and international Shipping affairs.
