The Cyprus Chamber of Shipping held its 34th Annual General Meeting with great success and participation, on Tuesday, 9 May 2023, at the “Four Seasons” hotel in Limassol, which has attended by State and Government dignitaries, Political Party representatives, Members of the House of Representatives, Diplomats, representatives of Professional Organisations and as well as by the resident Industry.

The General Meeting was addressed by the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, the President of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Annita Demetriou, the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which the Chamber has been a Member for 30 years, Mr. Guy Platten and by the President of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Mr. Themis Papadopoulos.

In his address, the President of the Republic, praised and congratulated the Cyprus Shipping Chamber for its continuous contribution and active involvement in the further development of Cyprus Shipping and emphasised the commitment of the new Government to continue the close cooperation with the Chamber and provide the necessary political support to the Shipping Industry, through the quick introduction of specific mechanisms necessary to further strengthen the sector.

The President of the House of Representatives, mentioned that the fact that Shipping has remained a strong and steady pillar of Cyprus economy, despite the challenges that are faced by the global economy, is commendable and admirable. She also reaffirmed, οn behalf of all the Members of the House of Representatives, the Parliament’s commitment to work closely with the Chamber, for the advancement of the Shipping sector in Cyprus.

In his address, the Secretary General of ICS, congratulated the Chamber’s President, Mr. Themis Papadopoulos, for his recent re-election as one of the Vice-Presidents of ICS and thanked the Chamber for its longstanding input into ICS work, thus help shaping a better future for International Shipping. In relation to the Industry’s decarbonisation efforts, stated that collaboration across the entire value chain is the only way we can forge a path to a decarbonised future.

Finally, the President of the Chamber, reviewed the challenges and developments that took place in 2022 in relation to Cyprus Shipping and the Chamber’s activities towards the further development of the sector. He also mentioned that Shipping is one of the most serious economic pillars of the country and enhances the prestige of Cyprus, as a superpower in Shipping. Therefore, he emphasised, among other matters, the need for the immediate completion of the “One-Stop-Shipping-Center” at the Shipping Deputy Ministry and the swift preparation and approval of the regulations for the implementation of the “Shipping Company with Limited Liability”. In relation to the longstanding Turkish Embargo to Cyprus ships, he asked for concrete support of the Government and Diplomats to use their influence to immediately lift this illegal restriction. In addition, he stated the commitment of the Chamber to continue its efforts for the fast and sustainable green transition of the Shipping Industry, through its active involvement in regional and international Shipping organisations, which represents the resident Industry for many years now.

During the Meeting, elections were also held for the new twelve Board of Directors of the Chamber for the period 2023-2025. Mr. Themis Papadopoulos was re-elected as President of the Chamber for a second two-year term with eleven top-level esteemed professionals from the Chamber’s Member-companies.