First International Maritime Forum promotes Georgia’s marine environment

Georgia is positioning itself as a competent maritime nation and promoting the common values it shares with the international maritime community by hosting the first International Maritime Forum.

Honourable guest from more than 40 countries have come to Georgia to attend a five-day conference in Georgia’s Black Sea resort town Batumi.

The Georgian Government inaugurated the Georgia International Maritime Forum (GIMF) this year to reflect global maritime initiatives and promote Georgia as a maritime nation.

The principal aim of the September 12-16 event was to raise regional awareness of the importance of shipping and the critical need of ensuring healthy oceans – a delicate balance that a carefully devised and executed integrated maritime policy can go a long way to sustain.

Guests from more than 40 countries including Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Kitak Lim, are participating in the event.

Day one of the conference opened with a sailing regatta involving eight yachts on the Black Sea. Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency with the support of the Coast Guard of Georgia, organised the regatta in the Batumi Port basin.

Yachts in the regatta have come from Batumi, two from nearby Poti and five from Tbilisi. The regatta will finish on September 14 when the winner is announced.

Meanwhile tomorrow the Forum will continue with official meetings where several agreements are due to be signed, such as:

• An intergovernmental merchant-shipping agreement between Georgia and Malta;
• An intergovernmental agreement on railway-roro (roll-on/roll-off) trade between Georgian and Ukrainian sea ports;
• An agreement between Iran and Georgia on mutual recognition of sailors’ certificates of competency issued by the maritime administrations of each country;
• A Memorandum of Cooperation between Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency and the Public Service Development Agency.

Also tomorrow Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency will establish the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) in Georgia to promote the networking and exchange of experience among women who work in management or other top positions in shipping and international trade.