Shipping and Aegean Minister Kostis Mousouroulis on Tuesday noted the potential role of Greek shipping as a "lever for exiting the crisis", in statements to the state news agency from London, where he is on an official two-day visit for talks with Greek ship-owners based in the British capital. Noting that the Greek presence in London, a global centre of shipping and finance, had always been strong and prominent, Mousouroulis said he had come to ask Greek ship owners to support the Greek flag and shipping-related Greek businesses, through collaboration that was both absolutely feasible and efficient.
The minister held meetings with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, covering general shipping issues such as shipping safety, piracy, carbon emissions and environmental pollution. Mousouroulis said he intended to ask the IMO chief for greater participation by Greeks in the IMO in order to improve Greece's position in the organisation, in light of the country's dominant role in the global commercial shipping sector.
Today, the minister is to meet with members of the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee in London, and invite them to carry out investments in Greece, both in shipping and more generally. The two sides are also expected to discuss the new Greek shipping register and ways to make the flag more attractive, as well as issues concerning ship safety and naval training.
Before departing for Greece, Mousouroulis is scheduled to meet the British Undersecretary of State for Transport Stephen Hammond, in charge of shipping issues. (AMNA)
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