THE TURKISH ban on Cypriot ships and its refusal to apply EU the customs union protocol will be among the discussions that shipping bosses will have with EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot during the Maritime Cyprus conference later this month.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Works and Chairman of the Conference’s Organising Committee, Makis Constantinides, said yesterday that unless Turkey lifted the embargo, in place since 1987, negotiations on its Transport chapter would not begin.
Speaking at a news conference in Nicosia to launch the biannual Maritime Cyprus, which will take place from September 23-26, Constantinides said the government was working on incentives for ship owners that would counter the Turkish ban and bring more tonnage to the flag.
Cyprus currently has the third largest fleet in the EU after Greece and Malta, and ranks tenth in the world.
“The Turkish embargo is the only negative aspect in the field of Cypriot shipping,” Constantinides said.
Cyprus Shipping Council general secretary Thomas Kazakos said the incentives mainly centred on tax reforms that would entice more owners to register their vessels in Cyprus.
He said not a lot of attention should be placed on the ban, adding that although it was affecting the Cyprus flag, there had been other issues affecting the registry besides the embargo.
“We are living with the embargo since 1987 and we are still here,” he said.
This year’s Maritime Conference, in which 800 shipping bosses form 15 countries will participate, is titled: “Stay tuned… Shipping New Image”. The conference will analyse issues of Training and Retaining of Seafarers and Shipowners’ mission and vision. This year’s conference also has some innovative changes in its structure. On an experimental basis, an afternoon session entitled “Maritime Cyprus: Young Executives”, will be held for young shipping professionals under 40.
Shipping Department Director Serghios Serghiou, who also attended yesterday’s news conference announced that Cyprus would obtain a Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS) in the second half of next year at a cost of €2.5 million. The price tag will be shared between Cyprus and the EU.
The system, required under EU directives, is necessary to establish a traffic monitoring and information system for enhancing the safety and efficiency of maritime traffic, and improving the response of authorities to incidents, accidents or potentially dangerous situations at sea.
“The monitoring of the sea around Cyprus is an obligation arising from this directive,” said Serghiou.
He said the system would help the early detection of vessels that may be transporting illegal immigrants.
