A country is defined by its people, by their history, their beliefs, by their ability to make something of the resources around them, by their collective desires for the future.
As a country, Cyprus is defined historically as a nation of mer- chants. And with so many links to other nations, we are also a country, a people, that understands that collaboration is key to our future.
And so it is in shipping. The future of Cypriot shipping will be defined by the collaborations we form today.
Anyone in shipping will know that the industry is changing. New tools, new ship fuels, new propulsion, new regulations, new people and a significant shift in generational perspective. All shipping nations will be affected by this transformation as these novel business practices become commonplace.
As a maritime nation, Cyprus is small but well-positioned. The country already has a well-integrated shipping cluster with a high global ranking. Limassol is the heart of Cypriot shipping, home to over 200 shipping companies and hundreds of maritime-related companies, with international operations as befitting a well-connected cluster, with many already taking steps to engage in our industry’s collaborative future.
Centre stage
The drive to ensure Cyprus has a strong cluster is best exemplified by the efforts of the government as well as those of private companies to serve as a centre for the development of innovation projects in the country. They create a link between research, innovation, and the maritime sectors. This drive for innovation, and the commercial aspects of shipping present in Cyprus, help anchor the country at the centre of the transition. Ship management firms in Cyprus are leaders in the deployment of digital solutions, aligning themselves closely with the assets they manage, the owners who are their cli- ents, and even the cargo owners who are their client’s clients. This collaborative contractual chain is just one clear demonstration of the changing industry as companies no longer work in isolation, or in silos.
Cyprus is on a collaborative journey through existing work and more recent efforts, such as our Shipping Ministry’s open consultation.
The Ministry’s consultation launched earlier this year to bring in opinion to help strengthen our nation’s maritime presence globally and locally. The consultation focused on our environmental sustain- ability, digital transformation and persisting global challenges (such as seafarers rights and piracy). This consultation sought opinions and thoughts from those that care, both inside and outside Cyprus. It showed a government with strength, determination, and a belief in the combined future successes that will influence the industry. Cyprus has a chance to lead through example. The changes we have seen over the last two years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrate the willingness to continue to do so. There is the pas- sion and the skills embedded in culture and a spirit to ensure that the global maritime industry, and its various clusters and subsectors can thrive.
To thrive may mean Cyprus has to realign its strategic direction and do so quickly. But Cyprus is not a huge ship set on only one course come-what-may.
It has versatility with the dynamic nature of all those maritime companies in Limassol and elsewhere in Cyprus, with the desire of a government and a proactive Shipping Ministry, with the investment in research and development in marine and maritime issues from different organisations, and with the willingness of Cypriots engaged in our industry or seeking some of the new roles and careers our transforming industry will offer.
So, the opportunity is there. But we need to lead the way by show- ing certainty in our future, and the only way to do that is to talk, to collaborate, both within the Cyprus cluster and internationally. On a global political and corporate scale, we need competitive collaboration, or maybe it’s collaborative competition. And we need a strong Maritime Cyprus as much as maritime needs Cyprus.
* Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou Co-CEO Tototheo Maritime