• Minister
  Hew promotes Cayman Shipping Registry at influential forum for
  maritime and shipping industry chiefs.
  
  

The Minister for
Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure, Hon. Joey Hew was the keynote
speaker at the Mare Forum on Friday, 27 September.

The
Mare Forum conferences take place across the world and are regarded
as highly influential for key players in the maritime and shipping
industries. They host prestigious discussions and debates relating to
current and future issues pertaining to the sector.

The
theme for the Superyacht Europe 2019 conference held in Monaco was:
What’s next in yachting?

The
high-profile symposium gave Minister Hew a platform to stress that
the Cayman Islands is open for business and will continue to grow the
portfolio of mega yachts that operate under the Cayman Red Standard.

“A
huge cross-section of powerful industry voices came together at this
prestigious forum to share views and debate business strategy
alongside policy-makers,” Minister Hew explains.

He
adds: “Everyone from yacht owners to maritime lawyers, marine
equipment manufacturers and industry regulators is able to voice an
opinion. This makes it a highly useful exercise for us to participate
in, as we seek to maintain our position at the forefront of this
important industry.”

The
Cayman Islands has the top-rated shipping registry in the world, with
the most experienced staff of the flag states in the yachting
industry. An efficient registration system and competitive pricing
structure, coupled with highly specialised
service providers, contribute to the Cayman Islands being the
preferred choice for discerning ship owners.

In
his speech, Minister Hew noted that the Cayman Islands is continually
updating legislation and introducing innovations, which enhance
safety. These also help to make the industry sustainable, by
promoting improvements such as helping prevent pollution.

He
emphasised how the highly-skilled technical
staff at the Registry has, for more than two decades, been involved
in the majority of the largest new-build yacht projects in the world.

Under the leadership of Maritime Authority of the
Cayman Islands (MACI), which falls under the remit of the Ministry of
International Trade, Investment, Aviation and Maritime Affairs
(MITIAMA), the Cayman Registry team is able to offer the best
possible advice to owners and find actionable solutions to new yacht
designs, without compromising on quality or safety.

The
Cayman Islands also recently qualified for continuance in the United
States Coastguard’s Quality Shipping for the 21st
Century (QUALSHIP 21) Programme for the
ninth consecutive year.

This
programme identifies high-quality ships and
flag states and to maintain the status, flag states have to meet the
highest international requirements. The Cayman Islands is one of the
very few flag states, which have managed to maintain their QUALSHIP
21 status consistently since 2011.

While
the Cayman Islands earns substantial fees from the work of the
Shipping Registry, the abundance of luxury yachts that are registered
in the Cayman Islands and fly the Red Standard further enhance the
Islands’ global image.

(GIS)

Photo Captions

MARE Forum1: Minister Hew addresses leading
industry voices at Mare Forum in Monaco on Friday, 27 September.

MARE Forum2: The Mare Forum panel,
including Minister Hew and CEO of MACI, Joel Walton.

MARE Forum3: The audience of high-profile
members of maritime and shipping industry, including MITIAMA Chief
Officer Eric Bush.