IOC and regional ports body renew partnership |16 July 2016

The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the Association of Ports of the Indian Ocean Islands (APIOI) have signed a new accord of partnership whereby the IOC has agreed to permanently house the secretariat of the regional ports association at the IOC headquarters.

The accord was signed by secretary general Jean Claude de l’Estrac on the part of the IOC and Colonel André Ciseau, chairman of the APIOI. The signing ceremony took place on July 8, 2016 during the APIOI extra- ordinary meeting held in Mauritius.

The event was attended by all APIOI members, represented by the chief executives of the respective port authorities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Secretary General de l’Estrac said the initiative was testimony to the willingness of both sides to work closer together to collaborate on pertinent ports and maritime issues, notably where it concerned maritime connectivity – an important topic on the IOC’s agenda.

For his part, Col. Ciseau accentuated the importance of the key partnership with the IOC in the realisation of the activities of the APIOI. The action plan defined by the APIOI during the two-day meeting provided a new basis for cooperation between IOC and APIOI in the field of the Blue Economy as well as maritime safety and security. Through the closer ties with the IOC, the regional ports association would be in a stronger position to improve communication and be more effective in the practical implementation of projects.

During the two-day working visit, discussions were also held with representatives of other member ports of the APIOI on intensifying collaborative efforts with other mainland African ports in order to increase volume of regional trade and with special focus on:

• • Continued expansion of the Blue Economy activities;
• • Maritime security and standardisation of procedures of ports/maritime security through common training;
• • Collaboration with the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) which held a one-week long conference in Seychelles recently;
• • Cruise/super yacht tourism strategies;
• • The Green Port initiative which is gaining significant momentum world-wide and which is one aimed at finding ways of minimising the adverse environmental impacts of port activities.