Cyprus to maintain high quality shipping register

Cypriot Minister of Communications and Works Maria Malachtou Pamballi assured that ”Cyprus will spare no effort to maintain a register of high quality and participate actively in all international fora where policy decisions on shipping are taken.”
Addressing the Digital Ship Cyprus 2008 Conference, organised with the support of the Cyprus Shipping Council and attended by speakers and information managers from around the world, Pamballi said that ”while shipping is characterised as the life blood of the world trade, there is no doubt that communications form the nervous system of shipping.”
”Considering that vessels are sailing around the world and are exposed to different kinds of perils, the flow of information between the vessel and all other parties involved becomes crucial. Efficient and effective communication links must be established in order to ensure fast exchange of information enabling decision makers to be immediately aware of the relevant facts,” she pointed out.
Pamballi added that ”ships sailing all over the world are exposed to perils such as piracy and maritime terrorism” and that ”attacks of this nature cause serious concerns to the industry.”
”The shipping industry has taken a series of preventive measures. The establishment of the Piracy Information Centre in Kuala Lumpur, which we actively support, is one of them. The implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, aiming at the establishment of a system of security management is another. It goes without saying that a basic precondition for the success of any of these measures is fast and efficient information exchange,” she said.
She noted that ”the enhancement of safety, security and efficiency of maritime traffic as well as the prevention of pollution of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea are among the main concerns of our Ministry and its Department of Merchant Shipping, and to that end the ISPS Code has been adopted and is effectively implemented,” adding that ”all ships under the Cyprus flag as well as all port facilities in Cyprus have been duly certified as complying with the requirements of this Code.”
”In addition, Cyprus is implementing a Vessel Traffic Monitoring Information System (VTMIS), which will have the capability to monitor, process and provide information on the maritime traffic that enters the Middle Eastern border of the EU. We expect positive effects in relation to the reduction of accidents and the protection of the marine environment. The system is expected to become operational by the end of this year,” Pamballi said.
She added that ”during the last few years Cyprus adopted a series of measures aiming at the upgrading and the modernisation of our fleet, we adopted a safety policy which focuses on the effective control of the ships and the improvement of their quality, and particular attention is also given to the quality and the welfare of the seafarers employed on Cypriot ships.”
Pamballi pointed out that ”our main goal is to ensure a continuous improvement of safety and quality standards on board Cypriot ships, in order not just to remain in the White List of the Paris MOU, but also to have the minimum possible number of detentions, marine casualties and lives lost at sea during accidents.”
”In order to enhance and further promote the new image of the Cyprus flag as a quality flag, we have participated voluntarily in the IMO Audit Scheme. The audit confirmed the success of our efforts. Cyprus was the first open registry which passed the audit successfully and the second country worldwide which was voluntarily audited. I assure you that Cyprus will spare no effort to maintain a register of high quality and participate actively in all international fora where policy decisions on shipping are taken,” she concluded.

Digital Ship Conference

Vice-President of the Cyprus Shipping Council Captain Eugen Adami said this was ”the fifth consecutive year that the Digital Ship Conference is being organised in Cyprus with the support and association of the Cyprus Shipping Council,” adding that ”through the years the Conference managed to become a well-established specialised annual event in the international shipping community’s calendar.”
Adami said ”Cyprus has the correct foresight and the appropriate maritime infrastructure and technology to host successfully international shipping events of this magnitude, as Cyprus, and more particularly Limassol, is considered to be one of the largest third party ship management centers worldwide.”
”In addition, it is worth mentioning that Cyprus constitutes today the tenth largest shipping fleet globally and the third largest in the EU,” he added.
Chairman of the Council’s ICT Sub-Committee and Coordinator of the Digital Ship Cyprus Conference Adonis Violaris said the Conference is considered to be ”the largest conference globally for digital technology in the shipping industry,” dealing mainly with ”the latest technologies for information technology systems, maritime satellite communications, software and electronics, and how they assist shipping companies to communicate effectively and efficiently with their fleets, as well as to meet their toughest challenges in a market which is becoming more and more competitive.”
Violaris said the Conference ”does not only address those employed in the Communications and IT departments of shipping companies, but also all those involved in the shipping industry and are interested to expand their knowledge in how the innovative digital technology can add value in the everyday operations of a shipping company.”
He added that the first day of the Conference would concentrate on Satellite Communications. ”Special features will include a Survey on Perception of Technology by Crew, Alternative Providers and Satellite Communications for Crisis Management, the Implementation of VTMIS by the Cyprus Maritime Administration and a Case Study on the Implementation of Fleet-Broadband,” he said.
”An innovation we introduced this year for the second day of the Conference is that it will mainly deal with Information Communication Systems used by ship-owning and ship-managing companies in carrying out their management activities,” he said.
Violaris added that ”in appreciation of the importance of information and communication technologies to the smooth and efficient operation of shipping companies and their fleets, the Cyprus Shipping Council operates a standing committee, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sub-Committee, which meets regularly in order to closely monitor and discuss developments in the ICT field.”