Georgia and Ukraine recognize certificates of sailors involved in coastal sailing

Georgia, April 25, 2024: Georgia and Ukraine, in a momentous move, have signed a significant memorandum of mutual recognition during a crucial visit to the European Maritime Security Agency (EMSA). 

This landmark agreement witnesses both parties acknowledging the sailors’ certificates in coastal navigation, which is very important for the maritime industry.

At the meeting preceding the signing, the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia Director, Alexi Akhvlediani, engaged in a fruitful discussion with the Ukrainian delegation. They explored the priority directions of ongoing and future cooperation in the maritime sector between the two countries, fostering a strong sense of unity and collaboration.

The memorandum of mutual recognition of sailors involved in Georgian coastal sailing has already been signed with the countries of the Black Sea basin: Turkey and Romania. Bulgaria will also join this beneficial agreement shortly. This expansion of recognition heralds a significant increase in employment opportunities for Georgian sailors involved in coastal sailing, a promising and encouraging development for their future.

European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is a European Union agency headquartered in Lisbon. It is charged with reducing the risk of maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships, and human lives lost at sea by helping to enforce the pertinent EU legislation.

Maritime security

Maritime security is an umbrella term used to classify issues in the maritime domain that are often related to national security, marine environment, economic development, and human security. 

This includes the world’s oceans but also regional seas, territorial waters, rivers, and ports, where seas act as a “stage for geopolitical power projection, interstate warfare or militarized disputes, as a source of specific threats such as piracy, or as a connector between states that enables various phenomena from colonialism to globalization.”