Cyprus Shipping Council News

Cyprus Parliament has passed a bill establishing a shipping junior ministry, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported quoting government sources. The bill, tabled by the government, was approved unanimously, the agency reported, adding that two proposed amendments had been withdrawn without being put to the vote. The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Marios Dimitriades, in a written statement, welcomes the decision of the Parliament to establish a Deputy Ministry of Shipping., noting that Cyprus’ shipping is a big chapter for Cyprus. “It is indeed a very important step towards changing the outdated structure of the 1960 state but still not enough…

InterManager members attending this year’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday (October 11) will thank retiring President Alastair Evitt for his work at the helm of the association over the past two years. During his Presidency Mr Evitt has represented InterManager on the world maritime stage, working on behalf of its members to ensure the views of the shipmanagement industry are heard and understood and to campaign for better treatment for seafarers. In particular he has been at the forefront of the international battle against piracy…

More than 80 BIMCO officials from 21 countries met in Limassol for the BIMCO Spring Meetings from 22-24 May 2002. The officers constitute the Board of Directors, the BIMCO Executive Committee and the Documentary Committee. One of the most important topics covered during the meetings was a detailed discussion of maritime security. “The security issues which have emerged within the last six months in many cases involve the maritime sector. Keep in mind that BIMCO has for many years been actively involved in maritime safety. Over the years, we have therefore developed a close cooperation with a wide range of customs services worldwide and not least the US Coast Guard. Today, those contacts are of tremendous benefit to our members.

According to Cyprus Mail, The Cyprus Shipping Council (CSC) reported that the Turkish ban on Cypriot vessels is the number one problem for the shipping industry. CSC said the ban had caused hundreds of ships over the years to re-flag out of Cyprus and prevented hundreds of other ships from using the Cyprus Registry and that the issue had now become a European one since Turkey signed the customs union protocol with the 10 new member states. However, Ankara still refuses to lift the ban on Cypriot ships. The CSC president, however, welcomed the EU’s counter-statement in October last year that clearly said the embargo on Cypriot ships must be lifted within 2006.