The “I. International Maritime and Transportation Symposium” hosted by Girne American University (GAU) has ended.

Beginning with the cooperation of GAU Maritime and Transportation Academy and The Chamber of Turkish Ship Machinery Operation Engineers and at the opening speech of the symposium that lasted for two days GAU Maritime and Transportation Academy Director, Head of Deck Efdal Safel thanked the attendees by saying “Today is the first time we have gathered here for the first International Maritime and Transportation Symposium.”

After Safel, GAU Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Oguz Karakartal took the stage and said “I find the first symposium held by our University Maritime and Transportation Academy very exciting, if you ask why the reason is because symposiums becomes a tradition, the second and third ones will be held but the first symposium is always the most exiting one. Today, to achieve something is not just the work of a single person and our present age is the co-operational working age. The geography we live in is an island and I don’t want to talk about maritime and transportation because it isn’t my area of expertise but today as part of the opening in the context of culture and sea transportation I wanted to say something, to share with you what feelings this symposium has reminded me and brought back.  I wish the symposium will be successful and we are discussing doing it again. I would like to finish with a phrase that sailors love “Unfurl the sails, rowboats aboard, sailors heave”.

Turkish Ship Machinery Operation Engineers Chamber Chairman Feramuz  Aşkın said “We are here today for the “International Maritime and Transportation Symposium” and we are very happy to be here” and continued as followed:

“Maritime is not only transportation, it controls almost the entire world trade sector. If we state the figures we see that 90 percent of the worlds cargo transport is made by ships, that’s why this sector is becoming the most important sector. When we look at it as transportation, maritime as a whole needs to include ports, logistics, marine operations, marine tourism and such activities.”

YTU Naval Architecture and Maritime Faculty Ship Machinery Operation Engineers Head of Department Prof. Dr. Adnan Parlak said in his speech “The fact that Girne American University is holding an International symposium made me really happy. It is necessary to move forward with the developing technology and capture the era.”

After the opening remarks at the symposium that lasted 2 days, green technologies, marine pollution, rules and standards, maritime history, sea-culture-human relations, multimodal transport, logistics and transportation, port and terminal management, maritime economy, international law of the sea, exclusive economic zones, health and safety risks, certification and apprenticeship, ship machinery, shipbuilding, energy alternatives, brokering and chartering, flag states, marine insurance, maritime search and rescue, yachts and entertainment boats, marine meteorology and marine environment subject topics were published.