According to Minister of Communications and Works Marios Demetriades, the maritime policy of the government has been established on the basis of three pillars, namely quality, competitiveness and reliability.

“Our country is a pioneer in the shipping sector and has a prominent place in the global fleet, is an active member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and has been continuously re-elected to its Council from 1987, has ratified a large number of IMO conventions, has incorporated them in the national legislation and is implementing them”, said Demetriades.

"We are confident that Cyprus will successfully complete the mandatory audit scheme of the IMO member-states, which concerns the obligations and responsibilities of each state under the Conventions," he added.

The World Maritime Day, the Minister of Communications says, has been established and is celebrated every year by the (IMO) and all its member states, on the last week of September.

This year, the IMO has chosen to dedicate the World Maritime Day to the International Maritime Conventions and their Effective Implementation.

The objective of the IMO is to focus on the Conventions, which have not yet been ratified in order to come into force soon.

Source: Famagusta Gazette