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On Friday, 30 March 2007, the Cyprus Shipping Council held its 18th Annual General Meeting at the Hawaii Grand Hotel & Resort, in Limassol. The Council’s AGM was attended by various Ministers, Members of the House of Representatives, Government dignitaries, foreign diplomats, industry leaders and Members of the Council. Addresses and speeches at the Meeting were given by the President of the House of Representatives, Mr. Demetris Christofias, the Minister of Communications and Works, Mr. Harris Thrassou, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Michalis Sarris, and the President of the Cyprus Shipping Council, Mr. Andreas Droussiotis. During his address to the meeting, the President of the House of Representatives, Mr. Demetris Christofias underlined the close relationship that exists between the House of Representatives and the Cyprus Shipping Council. President Christofias stated with particular satisfaction that Cyprus’ effort to improve the quality of its fleet produced positive results. He praised the strong participation of Cyprus in international maritime organisations and stated that this enhances the Republic’s status, something which in turn adds to the image of the State and has positive political prolongations. Mr. Christofias made particular mention to the Turkish restrictive measures which are still imposed by Turkey against Cyprus Ships and the negative implications that these measures have on the Cyprus flag and the economy of Cyprus in general. In addition, President Christofias expressed the belief that Cyprus has all the experience and potential, in terms of both material and human resources, not only to continue to offer high quality shipping services, but also to push its position even higher as a maritime centre of exceptional importance.
In his address to the meeting, the Minister of Communications and Works Mr. Harris Thrassou conveyed President Papadopoulos’ wishes for a successful AGM. Minister Thrassou praised the Council’s contribution, support and co-operation in all shipping matters relating to technical and policy issues, as well as in modernising the maritime legislation, promoting the Cyprus flag and organising the biennial event of Maritime Cyprus Conference. Minister Thrassou made particular mention to the success of the Cyprus flag to be removed from the Paris and Tokyo MoU’s “Black List”, a clear indication of the qualitative improvements of the Cyprus flag. He also stated that due to the continuation of the main obstacle in the further development of Cyprus Shipping, namely, the Turkish embargo against Cyprus ships, the Maritime Administration is exploring new incentives, which aim at improving the competitiveness of the Cyprus flag and the attractiveness of Cyprus as a maritime centre. In addition, he specified a number of certain problems that the Cyprus Shipping Industry is facing which arise from European regulations and policies and was confident that with the excellent cooperation and working relationship between the Ministry, the Department of Merchant Shipping and the Cyprus Shipping Council which are already in progress will lead to a successful outcome.
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Michalis Sarris, gave a speech entitled, “Accession to the Eurozone: Benefits and Challenges”. Minister Sarris’ speech included a presentation on the subject matter which provided a short description on the introduction of the Euro and the impact this will have on the companies as well as practical instructions, advice and suggestions on how companies can prepare themselves to meet any challenges. In the address forwarded to the Meeting by the President of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Shipping Federation (ISF), Mr. Spyros Polemis reference was made to his recent visit in Cyprus in October 2006, during which he met with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos. Mr. Polemis gave particular emphasis on the growing concerns about shipping’s environmental performance, and in this respect he stated that the shipping industry, as a goal, stands for zero tolerance of pollution of the environment, and wishes to co-operate fully with IMO and governments worldwide, in order to find the right practical and pragmatic solutions. Mr. Polemis stated that the ICS and ISF have been very pleased by the active manner in which the Cyprus Shipping Council has contributed in the development of the international industry’s position on various regulatory issues. In the address forwarded to the Meeting, the President of the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA), Mr. Lennart Simonsson commended the Authorities in Cyprus and its shipping industry for the active role they play in international organisations and for the contribution of the Cyprus shipping industry in the broad area of issues dealt with by ECSA. The President of ECSA concentrated on the de facto global nature of shipping services and stated that Global governance is a must. During his speech the President of the Cyprus Shipping Council, Mr. Andreas Droussiotis referred to the Council’s continuous growth and its considerable contribution in the expansion of the infrastructure of the Cyprus Shipping Industry. He praised the close co-operation of the Cyprus Maritime Administration with the Council for the improvement of the “image” of the Cyprus Flag. The President added that the Cyprus Shipping Industry, which competes very favourably worldwide, for many years, now, today employs thousands of well-qualified professionals and is one of the most substantial contributors to the economy of Cyprus. Mr. Droussiotis referred to the huge prospects of the Cyprus Shipping Industry for further development and even greater financial contribution to the country, without the need of any state investment. However he also summarised the main problems affecting the further development of the Cyprus Shipping Industry, such as the Turkish embargo and the Social Insurance of EU Seafarers on Cyprus flag ships, and called on the Government to resolve these issues the soonest in order to avoid a negative impact on the Cyprus Shipping Industry. He also stated that a competitive Taxation System for Shipping Companies and a fast and efficient service by the Government in order to be able to attract and above all, to maintain within its borders, a highly lucrative and financially prosperous Industry such as Shipping, is imperative, and called for a clear and strong political support by the Cyprus Government. In closing, the Council’s President reiterated the Council’s commitment to continue working with the Government in order to resolve these problems. The meeting ended with a short film that highlights the importance of the Shipping Industry in the global economy. |
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