SHIPPING: IMO chief wants to see “Adopt a Ship” expanded worldwide

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary General Kitack Lim and EU Commissioner of Transport Violeta Bulc, visiting the island for the “Maritime Cyprus 2017” conference, visited the 21st Elementary School (Kalogeropoulio) in Limassol, where they saw first-hand the implementation of the “Adopt a Ship” educational programme.

The programme, initiated by the Cyprus Shipping Chamber in 2006 in cooperation with the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association (CYMEPA), brings together the local elementary schools and seafarers on board CSC members’ ships in order to provide a real-world learning experience for schoolchildren. It involves assigning to elementary schools’ classrooms a particular vessel for direct email communication between the children and the crew of the vessel with the aim to inform the children about life onboard, cargoes carried by ships, trading patterns and geography. The programme runs under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Lim and Bulc had the opportunity to watch the programme operation through the students’ eyes and enthusiasm, where the students presented their knowledge about their ‘adopted’ ship, their communication with the ship crew and messages exchanged.

Commissioner Bulc stated, “I hope that this programme will spread and will continue to grow and I think everybody can profit from it, the children, the community and the profession”, while the IMO’s Lim added that, “it is a very valid and bright innovative idea. I am hoping that this innovative idea can be expanded to the global industry as a best practice”.