SHIPPING: Malta, Cyprus and Greece to boost maritime sector

Greece, Malta and Cyprus, the three leading flags that account for more than half of the European Union’s maritime sector, have agreed to cooperate on a common strategy in the shipping sector, including pollution, labour and ports.

During a meeting held in Valetta attended by Cyprus Minister of Communications and Works Marios Demetriades, Greek Minister of Shipping and the Aegean Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and the Minister for Transport and the Infrastructure of Malta, Joseph Mizzi, the three decided “to find ways to assist each other in achieving common goals in a way that could accommodate the formation of a common strategy between the three countries in the shipping sector.”
Demetriades stated Cyprus’ readiness to offer every possible help to the other two counties, while the Cyprus Department of Merchant Shipping expressed its willingness to offer technical assistance and support the Minister’s initiatives.
Special emphasis was also given on matters related to the reduction of pollutant emissions from vessels, while EU and International Maritime Organisation’s affairs were also duscussed.
The three Ministers exchanged views on issues related to port competitiveness and to the social dimension of shipping.
Minister Varvitsiotis invited his counterparts to Greece for the fourth tripartite meeting that will take place in 2015.