By Jim Kapsis
THE DEPARTMENT of Merchant Shipping reported yesterday that nearly half the Cyprus-flagged ships it had inspected in the second quarter of this year fell below government standards.
According to the official announcement, a total of 55 out of 119 vessels were found to have deficiencies. The inspections were carried out by the Merchant Shipping Department and local inspectors stationed at ports around the world. The Department conducts both regular and random inspections of its fleet throughout the year.
The deficient vessels were not permitted to sail until either they had rectified their problems or switched registries to another flag. Three of the 55 vessels reportedly withdrew from the Cyprus Registry rather than comply with government standards.
The number of inspections between April and June of this year was up by 25, 3 per cent. The government is currently trying to upgrade the safety and pollution standards of its fleet, as well as to ensure the quality of the living and working conditions on board Cypriot-flagged ships. This new regulatory initiative reflects the government’s desire to clean the decks of the Cypriot shipping industry before Cyprus joins the European Union.
Asked whether tighter regulations might not lead to a fall in the size of the Cypriot fleet, Serghios Serghiou, a spokesman for the Department of Merchant Shipping, replied that “our aim is not to increase our size, but to improve our quality.”
Cyprus is one of a handful of countries with an open shipping registry which permits foreign vessels to sail under its national flag. Other countries with open registries include Panama, Liberia, Malta, and the Bahamas. Open registries are attractive to foreign merchants who wish to avoid the tighter regulations imposed by their home ports.
According to Sergiou, 80 per cent of the current Cypriot fleet is of Cypriot national origin. This number, however, is likely to increase as regulations tighten.
As of March 1999, the Cyprus merchant fleet ranked sixth in the world, with more than 2,600 ships and a gross tonnage exceeding 26 million. Shipping revenues account for approximately 2,5 per cent of Cyprus GDP.