Cyprus plays host to young shipping managers

Members of the young shipping community in Cyprus as well as guests from Greece, Germany and the United Kingdom, gathered in Limassol recently for the first BIMCO39 day held at the Columbia Plaza, hosted in collaboration with the Cyprus Shipping Chamber.
BIMCO39 is the Baltic International Maritime Council’s (BIMCO) platform for young shipping professionals under the age of 45 and aims to provide a platform for education and cultural exchange for its members. Joining the Minister of Communication and Works, Nicos Nicolaides, and the President of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Captain Eugen Adami, the 120 participants were eager to receive the latest information about contemporary shipping issues like Piracy and the Charter Markets.
In his address to the audience, Minister Nicolaides expressed his hopes of a turnaround for global shipping in 2010 and the importance of the up and coming generation of future leaders in Cyprus.
“Beyond the networking opportunities and educational presentations about Piracy, Challenges in Information Technology or Future Fuel Policies in Shipping, we also wanted to provide our attendees with an inspirational component. We were therefore delighted when Heinrich Schoeller, Andreas Droussiotis, Demetris Ioannides and Christos Mavrellis agreed to join us for a look back in time for Cyprus Shipping and to explain their respective roles in the early days of what has become the world’s largest centre for ship management. The turnout was very rewarding and underlined the commitment of Cyprus Shipping Companies to developing their young talents,” said BIMCO39 Ambassador in Cyprus, Timothy Scheller.
Beyond the yearly BIMCO39 day, the BIMCO39 network in Cyprus aims to serve as a community through which young shipping professionals may connect and foster joint efforts among the generation of future leaders.
According to the Director General of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Thomas Kazakos: ”BIMCO39 and the Cyprus Shipping Chamber wanted to express their commitment to continue a close relationship between member companies and our political and business leaders.”