The office provides a wide range of services, including among others, ship registration and related transactions, issuance of ship’s certificates and legalization of official log books and ship’s articles. Shipping companies can carry out the registration of their vessels and all other relevant transactions in Piraeus, accelerating the process by collecting all the necessary documents from our office.
Moreover, the office deals with the process of seafarers’ documentation and certification by administering the necessary exams, and is also responsible for conducting inspections of Cyprus flagged ships in Greece. Having established an efficient way of communication and collaboration with the shipping companies based in Greece, we are able to respond effectively and support the smooth and safe operation of our ships. In this regard, we have successfully dealt with the requests of shipping companies in relation to the difficulties encountered due to the pandemic, in particular concerning crew changes, and the mandatory ship inspections.
Recognizing the importance of promoting a continuous, interactive and systematic collaboration with the local shipping industry, the Piraeus Maritime Office organise on a regular basis, meetings with stakeholders, presenting and discussing the current developments and future challenges in shipping. We firmly believe that is of paramount importance to exchange views and ideas with the shipping industry stakeholders, in order to formulate pragmatic and sustainable policies, in particular in the field of environment protection, taking into account the actions that are taken towards the decarbonization of the maritime sector.
Why the Cyprus Flag
Cyprus has over the years developed a reputation as a quality, modern and efficient flag providing high level services and a competitive business and taxation environment, whilst ensuring the highest possible standards in safety, security and environmental protection. In this context, the 24/7 service, provided also through the Piraeus Maritime Office, is highly appreciated by the Greek shipping community. Moreover, being a sovereign flag, member of the European Union, provides political security, while Cyprus’s primary concern through the active participation in the international and regional shipping fora, is to safeguard and further develop shipping as a safe and sustainable industry. As we are in the process to digitalise all services, we will soon be in a position to further increase our efficiency, without losing the human touch. An important action taken by the Shipping Deputy Ministry, which received also positive feedback from the shipping community, is the abolishment of the registration and other fees, supporting our goal to establish a competitive sovereign registry.
Furthermore, the Strategic Vision for Cyprus Shipping, the ‘SEA CHANGE 2030’ has created the conditions for a more sustainable and competitive Cyprus Shipping. Through the actions and initiatives accompanied the Strategy, new efficient and effective services and tools will be provided. First of all, we will digitalize all services provided by the Maritime Administration, promoting a paperless environment and create the framework conditions to support the concept of one-stop shop. In this context and in addition to the ‘traditional’ 24/7 service we will set up and maintain an e-Helpdesk acting as a single point of contact to respond to all issues via an online application with live chat support, while a user-friendly e-Maritime Library will be established to host the maritime related legislation, information, notices and guidance.
Furthermore, we will establish an e-Integrated Management of Seafarers System (e-IMoSS) accessible to master of ships, shipowners and ship managers to provide a comprehensive system and database dealing with all issues pertaining to seafarers, and facilitate the creation of crew lists, the employment and crew changes thus reducing administrative burden aiming to replace the need for Ship’s Articles.
* Counsellor (Maritime Affairs), Marine Surveyor A’Maritime Office, Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Athens