Cyprus and Recognised Organisations sign maritime agreement

Cyprus and the Recognised Organisations signed an agreement on Thursday governing the delegation of statutory surveys, inspections and certification services for ships flying the Cyprus flag.

Following the signing of the agreement, the President of the Department of Merchant Shipping, Sergious Sergiou, said “a new era begins in the relations of the Republic of Cyprus with the Recognised Organisations, although a long a fruitful cooperation exists for decades now with the esteemed Organisations.”

“We will now formalise this relation since the legal basis and framework were incomplete before the adoption of Directive 94/57/EC on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations,” he added.

Sergiou said that the signing of the agreement took place only between the Republic of Cyprus and the Recognised Organisations approved by the EU, as Cyprus has been obliged to follow the rules and procedures of the EU since the 1st of May 2004, when it became a full member.

Concluding, Sergiou said he looked forward to “a closer and constructive cooperation, safeguarding safety at sea and the protection of the marine environment.”

The 11 Recognised Organisations represent organisations in the USA, China, Greece, Britain, Italy, Russia and Korea, among others.