Cyprus’ Shipping Deputy Minister, Vassilios Demetriades, welcomed on Monday Royal Caribbean’s plans to open an office in Cyprus, noting that this was “a tangible example of the way the Government turns a crisis into an opportunity”.

In a written statement, Demetriades also welcomes Royal Caribbean’s decision to register one of its cruise ships, the Spectrum of the Seas, in the Cyprus Ships Registry. The vessel flies the Cypriot flag since last Friday, Demetriades said.

“The company's decision is a tangible example of the way the Government turns the crisis into an opportunity”, he added, noting that, Cyprus, during the coronavirus pandemic, through coordinated efforts in collaboration with the Ministries of Transport and Health and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, had facilitated the repatriation and crew changes of more than 65,000 seafarers while “the National Programme we adopted for the vaccination coverage of 40,000 seafarers was implemented with great success”. All the above, together with the services offered “have put Cyprus on the global cruise map,” he adds.

The company's decision to establish a permanent office in Cyprus, which will be the centre of its shipping activities in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the trust the company has shown in the Cypriot Flag, says the Deputy Minister, create conditions for further strengthening of cooperation, which will bring significant benefits both for Cyprus Shipping but more broadly, also consolidate Cyprus as a centre of quality cruises, “a fact that further strengthens our tourism product, contributing substantially to the local economy.”

“The improvement of our shipping product and the strengthening of our incentives and services, as planned and implemented through the national Strategy "SEA Change 2030", have laid a solid foundation for a prosperous future for Cyprus Shipping,” Demetriades’ statement concludes.