“Going live in 3 … 2 ... 1...” It might have been impossible to hold an event in person to mark the opening of the UK Ship Register office in Greece but there was no stopping the enthusiasm for the online webinar.
The UK Ship Register team pulled together a whole host of guests from industry to hear words from the Shipping Minister Robert Courts, the UK’s Ambassador to Greece Kate Smith and, of course, the Director of Maritime Services Katy Ware and Commercial Director of UK Ship Register, Dan Vivian.
Minister Courts spoke about the longstanding warm relationship between the UK and Greece and how this highlighted that. He reminded the audience of how the pandemic had shown the vital importance that maritime plays in the global economy.
He told the audience: “The sector will be at the heart of the post-COVID recovery and there are many reasons to be optimistic as the industry looks to the future. We are focussed on global links which will build a brighter future for the sector.”
The UK’s Ambassador Kate Smith picked up on this theme: “For the UK Government, it is a top priority to remain a global trading maritime nation. We recognise that to achieve this in today’s competitive world, we need to be innovative and flexible in our approach, to be responsive to customer needs, to lead technological innovation, to strengthen existing partnerships as well as creating new markets.”
Director of Maritime Services Katy Ware highlighted how customer service lay at the heart of the work of the UK Ship Register. While safety would always be at the forefront of what is done, the UK Ship Register and the Maritime Services team would continue to support innovation, working with industry to create world-leading standards.
She reminded the audience that this was shown in the way that UK Ship Register had embraced digitalisation recognising that customers demanded and needed that type of flexibility.
Katy said: “At the heart of what we do is a commitment to giving our customers the best service, whether that’s top technical expertise and world-class surveyors or access to advice 24/7 and digital registration.”
Commerical director Dan Vivian said that the UK Ship Register continues to be on a bold mission as it upholds a fast and flexible service adapting to the world around it, giving owners and operators absolute confidence in the UK Flag.
He said that the UK Flag would continue to lead the way as the responsible flag and would look to bring together skills across the world to lead decarbonisation and emission reduction in the maritime sector.