The 63rd Annual Meeting of the European Tugowners Association was held in Istanbul.

The European Tugowners Association (ETA) gathered once again in Turkey for its 63rd Annual Meeting. This year's event, hosted by ETA's members in Turkey, Med Marine Holding A.Ş., Sanmar Shipyards, and UZMAR, took place in Istanbul. With over 170 participants attending networking events, the General Assembly, and conference sessions, the organization marked its largest annual meeting in ETA history.

OSM Thome Became a New Full Member of ETA.

During the Annual General Assembly, the Finnish maritime company OSM Thome was accepted as a new full member of the association. With the addition of the company, which operates a fleet of three tugs at Kilpilahti Port, the number of ETA's full members has risen to 85.

The General Assembly also evaluated the activities carried out by the ETA Secretariat over the past 12 months. During this period, maintaining a constructive dialogue with European institutions, contributing to discussions on European Port and Industrial Maritime Strategies, and efforts to expand the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Regulation to include offshore vessels were highlighted.

The Theme of the Conference was Maritime Security and Military Mobility.

This year's ETA Conference was held under the theme 'Tugging at the Forefront: Geopolitics, Military Mobility, and Europe's Maritime Security.' The conference addressed the evolving framework aimed at facilitating the rapid and secure transportation of military personnel and equipment among EU member states, while also evaluating its impacts on ports and port towing services in detail.

Participants discussed the preparedness level of European countries for potential military crises and the strategic role of port towing services in enhancing the resilience and security of ports during times of conflict.

New Threats in Maritime Security Were Discussed.

Geoffrey Till from King's College London and Harry Fullerton from SixFigureGrid assessed maritime security and the changing nature of modern warfare, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to address new threats affecting Europe's supply chains and port infrastructure.

Christian Bueger from the University of Copenhagen shared current initiatives in Europe aimed at protecting Critical Maritime Infrastructures, while Kaisa Kuukasjärvi from the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications discussed her country's efforts to enhance the resilience of its transport system and emphasized the strategic importance of towing services.

Edwin Lampert from Riviera Maritime Media Ltd evaluated the potential impacts of the European Union's Military Mobility regulations on dual-use towing services.

The GREENPORT Alliances Project Was Introduced.

The conference also shared findings and achievements of the EU-supported GREENPORT Alliances project, which aims to reduce emissions resulting from port services. The project seeks to develop new training programs to create more sustainable port services.

'We Discussed Our Strategic Role in a Geopolitically Complex Period.'

ETA President Arjen van Dijk stated that the main theme of the 63rd Annual Meeting held in Istanbul was 'Tugging at the Forefront, Geopolitics, Military Mobility, and Europe's Maritime Security,' and noted that the event was extremely productive for the sector.

Van Dijk said, 'While going through a geopolitically complex period, there were very valuable insights and discussions regarding the strategic role of our sector in ensuring maritime safety and the operational continuity of ports. It also provided an important opportunity to reconnect with industry stakeholders. I extend my special thanks to Med Marine, Sanmar, and Uzmar for their hospitality and support.'

Thanks from ETA to Hosts and Supporters.

The ETA Secretariat also thanked all sponsors who contributed to the realization of the meeting, stating that the 63rd Annual Meeting was completed with great success thanks to the warm hospitality and support provided by Med Marine, Sanmar, and UZMAR.

In a statement from the association, it was emphasized that the event held in Istanbul was the largest annual meeting of ETA to date in terms of participant numbers.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye