Over the past weeks a series of meetings in the maritime sector were held in Malta. Such meetings reaffirm Malta is a firm believer that opportunities of technical cooperation in this field are very effective tools to ensure adoption and retention of optimal standards; they allow countries to cross-fertilise ideas as well as policies and to benefit from the expertise provided.

The first event which kicked off was the MEDA seminar on capacity building for effective flag and port state control functions. This seminar was the pinnacle of a months-long European-Mediterranean partnership (MEDA) initiative, a project aimed at improving and consolidating the application of systems and standards, to ensure better efficiency, safety and environment protection practices within the Mediterranean.

The European Commission and the International Maritime Organisation provided the means to make this initiative a success, not only within the context of effective flag and port state control capacity building but also with regard to the other aspects of the project, relating mainly to the implementation of the international safety management code, the standards of training, certification and watchkeeping.

A further sign of this initiative’s success is the fact that Malta also hosted a regional meeting on the safety of non-convention ships. This meeting discussed draft regulations aimed at delineating a regional agreement for the Mediterranean, governing the regime of vessels which are not covered by the scope of international maritime conventions.

The need for this initiative has stemmed out directly from the MEDA project and is, therefore, a clear indicator of the direct, positive impact such opportunities of international cooperation can have on the level of operations and services offered by the countries involved.

Another event which took place in Malta was a meeting of the International Telecommunications Union technical committee working group. The meeting was part of a process leading to a harmonised technical standard for satellite earth stations on board vessels. It is intended that such standard should be used as a basis for related equipment approval within the European Union and could even provide useful parameters for maritime administrations, when these formulate rules and regulations for the installation of such equipment. Malta is proud to have been chosen as a venue for such high level technical gatherings.

The effectiveness of technical cooperation, particularly within the maritime industry, is a result of the very nature of such industry, which is essentially international. Having one of the largest ship registers in the world, Malta’s maritime administration is very aware that any endeavour to manage a fleet effectively would be futile if not backed by reliance on an international regime of sound practice, in all areas related to shipping. Malta strongly feels this need.

Evidence of this is Malta’s status as a founding member of the Mediterranean memorandum on port state control. Its chairing of the Med MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), at a time when it is already an observer member of the Paris MoU, should be a clear indicator of Malta’s commitment to the raising of maritime safety and environment protection standards within the Mediterranean region.

It is also conducive to the role that the international community has been increasingly attributing to Malta, as the natural bridge between its fellow EU Member States and the North African and East Med countries, with which Malta shares such a strong Mediterranean identity.

Malta’s international endeavours, even in maritime matters, have been forged in its identity since it became an independent state. In fact, ever since its proposal to the UN Assembly, of the concept of the high seas as a common heritage of all mankind, Malta has actively contributed to other UN and – more specifically – IMO initiatives. Malta’s belief in providing support for the organisation’s work is reflected in its hosting two very prestigious IMO institutions.

One is the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean, which is run by IMO and which forms such an important part of the Mediterranean Action Plan. The second is the International Maritime Law Institute.

I wish to reiterate the support of the Maltese government for these two important IMO institutions and indeed for the IMO training programme and technical co-operation initiatives.

Malta’s contribution to the international maritime community, particularly in the training sector stems from the immense importance that Malta attributes to the human element of the industry. Considering the long and colourful tradition of the maritime industry, it would be safe to assert that over the centuries, this industry has developed a culture of its own.

In the last century then, such culture has been challenged by a number of developments in world history, notably the advent of air travel and globalisation. Before it knew it, shipping found itself being reined in to become a harmonised component of an increasingly structured, inflexible logistics chain; it was increasingly being called to adhere to new benchmarks set by the relatively infant air travel industry.

The reaction from the industry has been an attempt at reorganisation, in order to prove to the world that it was still a cost effective, efficient, safe and environment friendly mode of transport. The last decades have, in fact, seen great strides in the industry’s development of more efficient, safer and environment-friendly technology.

Nonetheless, I believe that the real challenge to bring the industry in line is the change in the culture of the people involved in the industry. That is why development of human resources has now claimed its post as a paramount element in the success formula being pursued by the industry.

Malta has always been a firm believer in developing the human element of shipping. As I have already mentioned, one of the elements, which, Malta believes, is vital to such human resource development, is training. Education and information are the key factors that can free shipping from those elements within its culture that hinder it from maximising its potential.

With shipping activity being so intertwined with other transport modes, reorientation and competence in all areas of shipping – ranging from flagging or managing a ship to actually manning it or loading it – needs to be continually addressed.

Malta’s belief in the importance of training is not only limited to its supporting IMO academic institutions. Over the years, our Maritime Authority has encouraged and supported numerous members of its staff on both short- and long-term training in Malta and overseas. This is done in order to ensure that its personnel not only maximise their qualifications but also get exposed to new and renewed ways of thinking and of managing within the industry.

Nonetheless, addressing the human element of shipping does not only entail training and equipping for capacity building. It also entails the creation of a culture of confidence, motivation and fulfilment for those who work in the industry. In this sense, an indispensable area that we feel we cannot ignore is the welfare of seafarers. As industrial relations and human rights advance worldwide, the safeguarding of seafarers’ rights and their welfare acquires increasing weight.

It is within this context, in fact, that Malta has so actively participated within the International Labour Organisation in the formulation of the ILO Seafarers Convention, which should hopefully come closer to fruition in the current year. The same conviction is also what drives Malta to scrutinise its fleet, to legislate and to take all necessary precautions in order to avoid, stop and punish any abuse of seafarers’ rights aboard its ships. This has, in fact, allowed Malta to accede to the main ILO conventions dealing with seafarers’ welfare.

The importance of the human element in shipping just cannot be understated. In a world increasingly relying on technology, one needs to remind oneself that, any institution, be it an organisation or an activity, has a character that remains essentially human – it is all about people.

That is why we believe that no alternative communication means can beat in effectiveness, events where people physically convene to interact directly and to work together with better understanding, in order to achieve their agreed objectives.

In this sense, I augur that this effort to bring together different fora from the maritime world will achieve its purpose and, hopefully, be the precursor of a more structured initiative which will place Malta on the maritime events calendar.

Censu Galea is Competitiveness and Communications Minister