Andreas Chrysostomou, Acting Director of the Department of Merchant Shipping said that the government has already started the implementation of a study for the future of shipping in Cyprus, commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and Communications to enhance the competitiveness of the maritime sector. He said that the political will exists to develop and strengthen the role of Cyprus shipping in the international maritime scene at a more rapid pace.
He said that the second day of the Maritime Cyprus Conference in Limassol focused on “The New Shipping Environment” and how international bodies and new technologies impact the shipping industry
Tuesday’s second session examined some of the factors that influence the regulatory decisions in international shipping and addressed some of the key challenges the shipping industry is facing today in relation to the use of cyber-physical systems on board ships.
The debate was divided into two sessions, the first session focused on the subject “Do shipping people influence decisions?” while the second session focused on “e-Shipping”.
During the first debate, panellists focused on the regulatory decision making process, particularly maritime industry’s influence at the International Maritime Organisation and the European Union.
The panellists agreed that maritime industry can be influential in some cases depending on the nature of the debate and the political decisions taken, while they expressed concern about some of the environmental decisions taken in relation to shipping during the past years and questioned the methodology followed in order to reach those decisions.
The panellists further noted that the shipping industry should be proactive in adopting best practices. Additionally, they indicated that coordinated action should be taken to persuade public opinion that the shipping industry attributes great importance to environmental issues.
The discussion on “e-shipping” explored the impact of cyber-physical systems on board ships and how these systems affect navigation, seafarers, safety and security of the vessels.
Panellists indicated that e-shipping should be ‘user needs led’ rather than led by technologists or regulators. Furthermore, the panellists indicated that the success of “e-navigation” will rely heavily upon the proper involvement of all parties concerned and in particular the seafarers throughout its development and implementation.
Some stressed that the aim of “e-shipping” is not to replace the seafarers on board vessels, but to assist seafarers in taking more informative decisions thus making the ships safer and more efficient.
Concluding, the panellists indicated that despite the advanced technological developments, “e-shipping” has not yet matured and further studies are required especially with regards to maintaining the cyber security which is vital for the ship and the port facilities.
