‘Shipping gives Cyprus edge for EU accession’

PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides said yesterday that Cyprus’ achievements in the maritime sector had given the island high credibility in the international shipping community.

Speaking at the tenth Annual General meeting of the Cyprus Shipping Council, Clerides added that shipping had also given Cyprus an advantage in its efforts for EU accession.

“Our main aim is to restore the image of our flag with the upgrading of our fleet’s safety standards, and we will continue to work on the implementation of the measures set by the International Maritime Organisation,” Clerides said.

He added that the department of Merchant Shipping would be strengthened with four more marine surveyors, that the network of inspectors would be expanded and that the process of computerising all the ships’ safety records would continue.

The previously-coveted Cyprus flag has lost its popularity in recent years, after poorly-maintained ships made Cyprus-flagged vessels the target of harbour inspections.

Ships on call at international ports are inspected and any that are deemed to be sub-standard detained.

Statistics are then compiled and analysed and if a specific flag has more than a certain percentage of detained ships it is considered to be sub- standard.

Ships flying these flags are then targeted for inspection, causing unnecessary delays for ship owners with quality ships.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.