“It is a real pleasure for me to be once again participating in Maritime Cyprus, particularly because it brings together several stakeholders that do play a part in all the work that we carry out at IMO,” Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization, said addressing the conference underway in Limassol.
Dominguez commended President Nikos Christodoulides for his continued commitment to supporting the maritime sector, “and it's demonstrated not only by the time that you spent just going through the exhibition and speaking to every single exhibitor but also with the support that your presence has in these opening events, as well as all the decisions and improvements that continue to shape the shipping sector in Cyprus. And it is demonstrated very tangibly by the results that we are seeing in assignment, automation and digitalization.”
He continued that Cyprus had launched its one-stop shipping centre in 2023, which is already looking to incentivise and reduce administrative burdens in the sector. “When it comes to incentives, we also see the introduction of green incentives in line with the recommendations of IMO, and you offer up to 30% reductions when it comes to registration.”
As Dominguez pointed out, Cyprus compliance with the IMO is also represented in its 20% increase of the tonnage in the last two years. “You are a centre for ship management, you're improving import infrastructure, and you're an active member in the negotiations at the International Maritime Organization. And I look forward to keep maintaining that very strong cooperation,” he said.
“Now, when it comes to shipping, we all keep saying and reminding ourselves that we are resilient. Not only were there challenges from a pandemic but geopolitics also, but I want to encourage you to be resilient.”
He noted that it was being reported by the United Nations Freedom and Development maritime review, that shipping will continue to grow around 2% for the next five years. “Yes, there are additional challenges, but we all know how to face them, and it's through working for global implementation of regulations that we all call for a level playing field. We're looking to have a just and equitable transition in shipping. We can only do that if we come together at IMO and we focus, not only on the green environmental agenda that normally hits the headlines, but that we also focus on safety, which is one of the core areas, one of the reasons why IMO was born, and in the last decade, we have reduced total losses by 75%; but for me, that's still one too many accidents.”
Dominguez noted that the IMO was partnering with international labour organisations, and international transports and workers’ federations to tackle the increased number of abandonment in criminalisation cases of seafarers.
“We are also looking at how to reduce harassment and increase the awareness of mental health in shipping,” he said.
The IMO chief continued, “Then, of course, is the agenda for digitalization and automation. One of the processes is finalising the autonomous ships code, because as technology continues to evolve, a regulatory process needs to be flexible enough to adapt to it. We will start with a voluntary code, learn, take the experience on board, and then move into the mandatory code. We're soon to develop, from next year, the global digital strategy for shipping, focusing mainly on facilitation of trade.”
He noted that one of the topics to be discussed during the conference was the disruptions that shipping is facing and the future era for shipping, including trade and further development, and how technology is going to be incorporated in the sector even further.
He noted that various fuels and technologies were on the table when it came to powering shipping “because you ask us for flexibility, and that's what we did. We're fuel agnostic and technology agnostic. So let's take the next step. Let's listen to one another, all the opinions that are on the table. We want to be greener, we want to be safer. We want to be more secure. We talked about being more sustainable. Embrace digitalization, gender equality and more transparency.”
“We can only do it if we keep coming together in evolving. As the theme of the conference says, it's about the future of shipping. So please keep working with me for the future of shipping. We are listening at IMO, we will continue to improve, but we need to take the next steps forward in order to achieve our goals,” he concluded.
