Breakthrough for Cyprus shipping __________

Nicosia: The flag of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus achieved a breakthrough through the Paris MoU for port detention of ships and for the safety of its fleet and should be moved from the Grey to the White List, as it emerged from a meeting of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), held earlier this week in Nantes, France.
The recognition that on the basis of the current criteria, the Cyprus flag should move to the White List, following further progress recorded in the Cyprus Shipping Register in terms of the safety of ships was noted during the recent 39th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Paris MoU.
The international shipping companies based on the island welcomed the announcement, as it means fewer checks for Cyprus flag vessels in foreign ports and better results for ship-owners.
The member states of the Paris MoU are Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Just a couple of years ago, the Cyprus flag was removed from the Paris MoU Black list where it was placed for about 20 years.
A statement issued by the government of Cyprus has said that this development, which is the result of measures taken by the government, will make a significant contribution to the development of the Cyprus Register that is now officially recognized as a quality register.