Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/634260
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 31 JANUARY 2016 II SHIPPING is without doubt a fun- damental pillar of our economy, as Thomas Sullivan, Director of Sea- Trans Shipping Ltd, observed in his interview published in this supple- ment. Almost every other sector of our economy depends on it. The success of this highly lucrative industry, which employs thousands of workers in Malta, depends on the country's ability to provide an efficient service to ships calling at our ports. The interview with Sullivan makes for interesting reading even for those who are not neces- sarily intrigued by the subject. In the interview Sullivan makes the case for Malta to improve the services it offers the sector. The impression one gets is that this is quite the cash cow, but even cows need to be tended regu- larly. The industry here is already offering ship owners and operators much of what they seek. We just need to do that bit more to have an edge over our competitors. Sulli- van told me that Augusta, in Sicily, already markets itself in relation to Malta, telling ship operators that they have offshore facilities for ship-to-ship transhipment that are as good or better than Malta's. There is no doubt that we need to stay ahead and be better than our competi- tors, going that extra mile to satisfy the industry's needs. It's not as if there aren't huge returns to be reaped if we offer an excellent service. A strategic plan for the sector would of course go a long way in setting our priorities for implementation of the improvements identified. Of course there are serious environmen- tal concerns and it is immensely important that every precaution is taken to avoid accidents that could cost our country and maritime ecosystem dearly. The country needs to remain vigilant to be able to respond quickly in the case of such ac- cidents, particularly in regards to oil spills. Two years ago the National Audit Office prepared a report on Malta's level of pre- paredness to deal with oil pollution at sea. The report had found that many oil spill contingency plans pertaining to Terminals, Facilities and Yachting Centres had not been submitted and that there wasn't a strategic training plan for oil spill response operations. The Auditor General had observed that the National Marine Pollution Contingency Plan (NMPCP) did not fully consider risks related to the offshore oil production industry. The plan also failed to provide clear guidance on the use of dispersants, was not fully updated to reflect roles and responsibilities, and the condition of avail- able Oil Spill Response assets. Addition- ally, the Auditor General had observed that the implementation of the plan was not being supported with the appropriate level of resources. For an island like ours, with all its vulner- abilities and the crucial role of this industry in our economy, these are not matters we can take lightly. We need to be fully prepared for all eventualities and a laissez faire attitude in these matters should not be tolerated. The safety aspect and the response to potential incidents of oil pol- lution are an important part of the mosaic that is the shipping industry. And these pieces also need to be in place. Shipping & Logistics Mark Borg The industry here is already offering ship owners and operators much of what they seek. We just need to do that bit more to have an edge over our competitors An important pillar of Malta's economy Majestic Princess will be deployed to the Mediterranean next year THE cruise operator Princess Cruises will deploy its newest ship Majestic Princess, on sailings to Europe in the 2017 cruise season. Majestic Princess, set to join the company's Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Crown Prin- cess, Pacific Princess and Caribbean Princess, will later ply Asian waters. Debuting in April 2017, the 3,560-guest Ma- jestic Princess first sets sail from Civitavecchia, Rome, on April 4 for a five-day Maiden Adriatic Sea roundtrip voyage. Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president said: "We're especially ex- cited to debut Majestic Princess in the Mediter- ranean before she officially sails to Asia for her maiden China cruise season." Princess Cruises' season will feature itin- eraries on 153 cruise departures, visiting 27 countries. Iranian ships to sail to Europe on lifting of sanctions THE Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines' (IRISL) ves- sels will soon sail for Europe as they have been removed from the Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC) sanctions list, the company said in a statement. After a ban of almost five years, IRISL is expected to make its first visits to Europe next month. The company's subsidiar- ies have also been cleared of sanctions, namely, Hafiz Darya Shipping Co plans to launch a container service connecting Europe, Iran and India. The president of IRISL, Mohammad Saeedi, recently said that, "with the lifting of the sanctions, all the shipping lines in Eastern Asia, North China, Europe, Africa, and Persian Gulf re- gions will be at the disposal of Iranian merchants as well as international companies for the purpose of import- ing and exporting Iranian goods." OFAC's measures in- cluded 13 sanctions against IRISL, covering a total of 132 companies and 16 executives of the Iranian marine fleet. After the sanctions were lifted, Iran became a point of major interest of a number of shipping companies.