Maritime Cyprus 2025 opens with global leaders calling for unity, innovation and a sustainable future for shipping

The Maritime Cyprus 2025 Conference opened yesterday in Limassol under the main theme ‘Unlocking the Future of Shipping’. 

The event brought together more than one thousand participants from thirty-five countries, including heads of state, ministers, regulators, shipowners and senior industry figures. Organised by the Shipping Deputy Ministry, the Cyprus Union of Shipowners and the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, the three-day Conference reaffirmed Cyprus’s position as one of the world’s foremost maritime centres, and a bridge linking regional and global shipping communities.
 


Opening the proceedings, Dr. Stelios Himonas, Conference Chairman of the Shipping Deputy Ministry, noted that this year’s Conference has broken participation records, demonstrating its growing influence as a platform for maritime dialogue and collaboration.
 


H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides (pictured), President of the Republic of Cyprus, reaffirmed his government’s commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of Cyprus shipping and announced that the digitalisation of services within the Shipping Deputy Ministry will officially begin next week. He highlighted a 20 per cent increase in tonnage under the Cyprus flag over the past two years – the highest level in two decades – together with a 15 per cent rise in companies registered under the tonnage-tax system and a 27 per cent increase in the ship-management sector’s contribution to national GDP.

The President also confirmed Cyprus’s accession to the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, strengthening the country’s commitment to sustainability. Looking ahead to Cyprus’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, he said maritime competitiveness and sustainable growth would be central to the national agenda.
 


H.E. Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, praised Cyprus for its strong alignment with IMO regulations, its green incentives and its leadership in digitalisation. He urged the international community to pursue a just and equitable transition in shipping and to work collectively to achieve the IMO’s long-term decarbonization objectives.

Mr. Dominguez highlighted ongoing initiatives to enhance safety, seafarer welfare, and mental-health awareness, as well as announcing the forthcoming Global Digital Strategy for Shipping, which will guide the sector’s transition toward greater automation and trade facilitation.
 


H.E. Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, offered a European perspective on competitiveness and sustainability. He underlined the need to balance environmental ambition with economic reality, confirming that during the Cyprus EU Presidency the Commission will present both a European Industrial Maritime Strategy and a European Port Strategy aimed at promoting innovation, fair competition, clean technologies and the development of ports as energy hubs for offshore wind and hydrogen. He also announced a Sustainable Investment Plan to accelerate the production and use of alternative fuels for transport.

Describing Cyprus as “a global maritime force,” he expressed confidence that the country will play a defining role in shaping Europe’s maritime future.