Ó Ferghaíl, according to a statement issued by the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute CMMI, pointed out that both countries "have many common areas of interest in the maritime sector, such as.Research and innovation, sustainable use and protection of the marine environment and marine cultural heritage, as well as maritime literacy, which the event helps to promote."
The opening ceremony of the European Maritime Day in Cyprus was held at Larnaca Marina.
The President of the Irish Parliament, Seán Ó Fearghaíl and a delegation from the Irish Parliament were guests of honour at the ceremony. The ceremony was welcomed by Mr Ó Fearghaíl, the Mayor of Larnaca and President of the Cyprus Maritime and Marine Institute (CMMI) Andreas Vyras, the Founder of Kition Ocean Holdings, which is also the sponsor of the event Panos Alexandrou and the CEO of CMMI Zacharias Siocouros.
Mr. Seán Ó Fearghaíl expressed his pleasure to participate in the opening ceremony of the event. He stressed that "both Cyprus and Ireland have many characteristics in common as both countries are island nations with a long maritime history and tradition and face common challenges, the main one being climate change."
He pointed out that both countries "have many common areas of interest in the maritime sector such as research and innovation, sustainable use and protection of the marine environment and marine cultural heritage as well as maritime literacy which today's event contributes to promoting".
Referring to the Cyprus Institute for Sea and Shipping, he welcomed its progress, stressing that it "can contribute to the exchange of know-how between the two countries and to the development of stronger research, innovation and education links".
Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras expressed his support for initiatives such as today's "which have the sea at their heart and which will contribute to the transformation of our city into a hub of Blue Development". He stressed that the Municipality of Larnaca "is making continuous efforts to exploit in the most effective way the potential of the so-called Blue Economy".
He pointed out that "the result of these efforts was the creation and hosting of the first research institute for marine technologies, CMMI, in Larnaca, as well as the start of works for the upgrading and modernization of Larnaca Marina, which will contribute to the further development of the city of Larnaca".
Referring to the event, he stressed that "both the European Day for the Sea in Cyprus and the Flood serve a common purpose, to connect and reconnect us with our sea".
Subsequently, Panos Alexandrou on behalf of Kition Ocean Holdings Ltd pointed out the great importance of the sea for Kition Ocean Holdings Ltd which undertook the project of the regeneration of Larnaca Marina and Port. He further stated that "this event is an opportunity to strengthen a great institution organized for the second consecutive year by an Institute that is based in the city, acts in a pioneering way and serves excellence in its field of expertise".
He stressed that Kition Ocean Holdings Ltd's ambition is "to bring Larnaca Marina even closer to the public of Larnaca, demonstrating once again our intention to become a leading component of the city's life."
Then, CMMI's CEO, Zacharias Siokuros, referred to CMMI's objectives within the framework of which today's event is taking place. "Our main objective is to connect civil society and the local community with the sea around us", said Mr. Siocouros.
Twenty organisations are co-organising this year's European Day for the Sea in Cyprus. These are the following: The Cyprus Maritime and Marine Institute (CMMI), the Municipality of Larnaca, the Phoebus Stavridis Foundation-Larnaca Archives, the Cyprus Youth Organization, Youth Makerspace Larnaka, the Larnaca Tourism Development and Promotion Company, the Cultural Creation Foundation for Children and Youth, the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association (CYMEPA), the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, Institute of Eastern Mediterranean Marine Affairs (MarInEM), Larnaca Napa Sea Cruises, Cyprus Foundation of the Sea (CyFoS), GeoImaging, Active Zone Outdoor, Cyprus Energy Office, the Cyprus DiveCenter Association, the Larnaca Yacht Club, the Cyprus Open Water Navigation Club, Wellness Over Waves (WOW) and the 23rd Larnaca Sea Scouts System.
The European Day for the Sea in Cyprus is a celebration of the sea and is addressed to all citizens and especially to children and young people in order to raise awareness and mobilize them about the importance of the sea and the protection of the marine environment.
The event is under the auspices of the Ministry of State for Maritime Affairs and is supported by the European Commission.
It is one of 630 events taking place across Europe this year in honour of the European Maritime Day, which is celebrated on 20 May.
The events as a whole are expected to attract the interest of more than 200,000 European citizens.
The events as a whole are expected to attract the interest of more than 200,000 European citizens. These numbers represent a new record in the history of the European Maritime Day!
During the five-day event in Larnaca, interactive educational and artistic workshops and games, sports activities, demonstrations of innovative marine technologies, environmental actions will be implemented under the auspices of Environment Commissioner Celia Vassiliou, a photography exhibition and boat trips in the Larnaca maritime area, all of which aim to inform and educate in a creative way the wider public about the importance of the sea and bring the world closer to it.
In addition, prizes will be awarded to primary school students of Larnaca district for winning the "Name a Reef" contest which is under the auspices of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research.
Source: CNA
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