The Deputy Ministry of Shipping confirmed on 24 July that Cyprus hosted a two-day Port State Control seminar on 15–16 July, bringing 27 inspectors from 11 Mediterranean countries to Larnaca for hands-on training in the IMO’s new Cargo Securing Guidelines. The workshop was co-organised with the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding (Med MoU) and prepares the region for a concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) that will run from September to November 2026. Under the CIC, inspectors will board thousands of merchant vessels to verify lashings, securing manuals and crew competence. Poorly restrained cargo has been linked to high-profile losses, including last year’s container spill off the Peloponnese that temporarily disrupted feeder schedules into Limassol and Piraeus. For Cyprus, which manages over 22 million GT under its flag and relies on transit trade for 15 % of GDP, the training is both a reputational investment and a practical necessity. Officials say the island intends to position itself as a regional safety knowledge hub as it pushes for election to the IMO Council later this year. Ship-managers and logistics providers operating in or through Cypriot ports should review securing equipment inventories, update crew drills and ensure that Cargo Securing Manuals are stamped with the latest classification-society approvals. Failure to comply could result in detention or costly onward routing delays once the campaign begins. Beyond compliance, the seminar strengthens cross-border cooperation at a time when geopolitical tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean have increased boarding-team security risks. Participants—from Egypt and Israel to Albania and Tunisia—agreed to share real-time inspection findings via the THETIS Med database, helping authorities target sub-standard ships more precisely and reduce unnecessary disruption for compliant operators.
Source: Cyprus Mail
