Georgia marks International Sailor Day

Georgia marked International Saildor Day in the country’s coastal city of Batumi today. 

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated that being a sailor is one of the bravest professions in the world.

We all know how risky it is to be a sailor. I want to thank each sailor for their courage and merit in state development.  You [sailors] contribute more than 400 million GEL to the state budget annually. This is a very significant input,” Bakhtadze said.

He stated that the country’s sea transport needs to be further developed and steps should be taken for producing internationally-qualified sailing staff.

For the first time and symbolically today, a ship named Cadet - which belongs to the Batumi Naval Institute - launched its international route. The fact that a Georgian training ship has received permission to enter international waters shows that Georgia will gradually meet all international naval standards,” Bakhtadze said.

The Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Cherkezishvili stated that Germany will recognise the marine diplomats issued in Georgia. 

The Marine Transport Agency of Georgia will elaborate the text and the Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with Germany, as a consent has already been achieved,” Cherkezishvili said. 

The PM also spoke about the gradual development of the country’s naval fleet.

Based on data from 2017, Georgia has 9,500 registered sailors.