EDITORIAL
The time has come for all who are involved in the maritime industry to start working on ways to revive the sector as one way of relieving the economy of its over-dependence on the volatile tourism industry.
While the private sector is undoubtedly the driving force behind the now-respectable Cyprus flag, the government doesn’t seem to be keeping its part of the bargain.
The call by the Cyprus Union of Shipowners last week to establish a Cyprus Chamber of Shipping as soon as possible received a mild yawn from the government, as by the competent minister’s own admission, the matter has been pending for over a year now. Transport Minister Haris Thrassou promised that he will push the matter forward.
The shipowners themselves, who have invested millions in these floating assets, have found an unexpected ally in the form of the trade unions, who too see the benefits of a Chamber that would engulf all professional and public bodies involved with the maritime business.
Even the two biggest shipowners’ associations, the CUS and the Cyprus Shipping Council, have established a Joint Cyprus Shipowners Association in order to represent Cyprus at the various European and international fora, which in effect acts as the predecessor to a Chamber of Shipping.
CUS President Charalambos Mylonas rightly said that his association and its members do not seek chairs and high offices, but simply want to be included whenever the government makes any maritime policy decisions of importance. If Malta and the Bahamas rely on the advice of their own shipowners, why, then, can’t the Cyprus government do the same?
Although the government employs an efficient Department of Merchant Shipping, manned by a tireless team of technocrats in Cyprus and overseas inspectors, it seems to have neglected the academic side which should have been the nursery for cultivating marine mentality and maritime training to ensure future generations are employed in the industry. With maritime studies and management courses flourishing at the private colleges, it is a shame that the maritime engineering school at the once respectable Higher Technical Institute is languishing in the shadows as the government is once again dragging its feet over the future status of the HTI.
As the Constitution prevents the creation of new Cabinet posts, such as that of a Minister of Shipping, the need for a Chamber of Shipping has passed the stage of urgency and must be established immediately, otherwise Cyprus will be losing much more than just a number of ships from its register.
