Shipping and maritime businesses and institutions from Italy and Cyprus will meet in Limassol on Friday, October 9, at a forum aimed at creating new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
The Italy-Cyprus Maritime Business Forum, promoted by the Embassy of Italy in Nicosia, will be held at the DP World Terminal. It will consist of three sessions, on sustainable ports, shipping and maritime corridors, alongside networking meetings between companies and institutions.
The forum aims to connect shipowners, ship managers, shipyards, port operators, insurers and service providers from both countries. Its agenda covers developing sustainable ports that are better integrated with their cities and in line with EU green transition rules; best practices and compliance standards in fleet management, including the use of technology to stay competitive; and international cooperation along strategic maritime corridors, starting with IMEC, to attract investment in ports and terminals.
According to the embassy, the maritime sector accounts for around 7 per cent of Cyprus’s GDP, rising to about 25 per cent when the wider blue economy, including coastal tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, is included. The embassy said Italy ranks first in the world for its trade surplus in shipbuilding, with exports of more than 5 billion euros in 2025, and leads the global superyacht market, with 56 per cent of orders by volume and 36 per cent by value.
Italy’s ambassador to Cyprus, Antonella Cavallari, said Cyprus was one of the world’s major international shipping hubs, while Italy was a global benchmark in shipbuilding, logistics and green technologies. “With this Forum, we want to turn this complementarity into concrete projects,” she said. She added that the aim was to build partnerships between companies, ports and port cities, with an eye on future trade routes such as the IMEC corridor.
Speakers will include Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis and Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis. European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis will address the forum by video message. Also taking part are Vittorio Torbianelli, head of international relations at the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, and Rona Panteli, IMEC representative and head of the connectivity unit at the Cyprus Foreign Ministry, along with representatives of industry associations and shipping companies from both countries.
The forum is organised with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), the Italian-Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, Invest Cyprus, the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cyprus-Italy Business Association, with the support of DP World. It is held under the auspices of the Shipping Deputy Ministry and with the support of the Limassol mayor.
The forum will be held in English. Details are available on the Italian embassy’s website.
