Deputy Shipping Minister Marina Hadjimanolis met last week with the president of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Farag, at the Shipping Deputy Ministry’s offices in Limassol.

According to an announcement released on Tuesday, the visit followed Hadjimanolis’ official trip to Egypt in October 2024.

During her visit, the minister toured the academy’s facilities in Alexandria and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation in maritime education, research, technology and innovation.

In terms of the meeting that took place in Limassol, the two sides held a constructive discussion on issues of common interest, while exploring future initiatives to promote maritime education and improve professional training opportunities for seafarers.

In a post on her personal social media platform, Hadjimanolis described the meeting as “fruitful” and said that it “served to further consolidate ties between the Shipping Deputy Ministry and the academy”.

She added that “maritime education is essential for the continued growth of Cyprus’ shipping sector”, stressing that such collaborations help to create more educational and professional training opportunities for young people and future maritime professionals.

Hadjimanolis also extended an invitation to Abdel Ghaffar to take part in the upcoming ‘Maritime Cyprus 2025’ conference, which he agreed to attend.