The time has come to focus on improving shippings' image.

(From Lloyds List)

Byline: Efthimios Mitropoulos , International Maritime Organization secretary-general

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to be able, from afar, to be invited by Lloyd's List to say a few words to you on this inaugural dinner to celebrate the Greek shipping industry and to congratulate those of you who will receive awards this evening.

I could talk to you about the many technical issues that are currently on the agenda at IMO in which you, or your organisations, have a particular interest. But, instead, I would prefer to say just a few words about the image of shipping.

I have stated elsewhere on a number of occasions that I think shipping has an image problem. I think this matters not because of image simply for its own sake it is substance which is important, but because the ramifications of a poor or non-existent image is arguably affecting that substance adversely. And when that happens, it is time for us all to take notice and to act.

In part, we may have ourselves to blame. I believe we should celebrate excellence in shipping far more often than we do. In shipping today we can see many marvels of engineering and technology that deserve to be ranked alongside the very finest achievements of our global infrastructure: 10,000 teu containerships capable of 25 knot operating speeds; huge oil tankers carrying vast quantities of fuel around our planet economically, safely and cleanly; and the wonderful giants of the passenger- ship world, to name but a few.