– Minister of Communications and Works Erato Kozakou Marcoullis expressed certainty on Monday that ''shipping will recover from the current crisis,'' noting that ''it is by far the most efficient form of transportation and inevitably, when the demand for goods and raw materials recovers, shipping will flourish again.''
In a speech at the 2nd Annual Economic Forum, in Limassol, Marcoullis said ''shipping, because of its nature, has been facing challenges, opportunities but also crises since its inception,'' adding that, ''even in times of recession and uncertainty about global markets, the shipping industry does not preclude the existence of inherent opportunities and in fact it makes wide use of them.''
''When the markets are down it is a good time to focus on quality, safety and efficiency, as well as on providing opportunities for specialised services in the shipping industry,'' she noted and referred to what Cyprus has to offer in terms of infrastructure and maritime administration.
''Cyprus provides now more than ever before a competitive edge to its clients, with regard to taxes, fees and services following registration,'' Marcoullis said, adding that ''the system provides Cyprus with a competitive advantage and is expected to improve the already strong position of the country in the shipping world and to promote it both as an international ship registry and a high quality maritime centre.''
Marcoullis pointed out that ''the sustained growth of Cyprus shipping is one of the priorities of the Cyprus Government and my Ministry, and our aim is to maintain Cyprus' leading role in the world shipping scene through the continuous development of Cyprus shipping.''
''The Cyprus registry today, ranking tenth among international fleets and third in the EU, is continuously upgrading its services in order to offer high standard support to international shipping. Cyprus is also a major ship management centre worldwide, with approximately 60 ship management companies operating in its territory overall,'' she noted.
Marcoullis said ''Cyprus appears to be among the top five countries and territories in the world with the largest number of third party ship management companies on its territory.''
''Looking into the future, it is obvious that the geopolitical situation in our area is changing fast and Cyprus is once again in the centre of these developments. New political balances are emerging which are not unconnected with the discovery of energy reserves in our area,'' she added.
