Christodoulides urges young Cypriots to consider careers at sea

President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday that the Cyprus ship registry has grown some 27 per-cent in three years, as he addressed the fifth Thalassa festival on the Limassol Molos. He said state revenue from ship management had also risen by 20 per cent over the same period. The government, he added, was working to make the most of “immense prospects” in the sector. Christodoulides also announced that the cabinet will approve a coastline unit before the end of the year, which is due to become operational by next year. He described it as a “sign of the importance the government attaches to the sea and to national security”. Christodoulides said the festival was aimed at young people, who could meet professionals from the industry and consider careers they had not thought of before. He said the sector offers “well-paid jobs” and that the government intends to strengthen maritime education. Cyprus has the third largest merchant fleet in Europe and the 11th largest in the world, and is the largest centre for third-party ship management in Europe. The shipping cluster includes more than 250 companies and employs more than 5,000 people onshore and 55,000 seafarers aboard Cyprus-flagged ships. Christodoulides said the future of Cypriot shipping depends “first and foremost” on its people.