Cyprus-Forum.com

[joe]

Cyprus in Law of the Sea Court celebrations


02/10/2006

Cyprus has marked in a novel way its participation in celebrations to commemorate ten years since the establishment of the International Court of the Law of the Sea.

The Republic’s Ambassador to Germany, Leonidas Markides, handed to the Court, based in Hambourg, a replica of the Kyrenia ship, as a sign of respect and appreciation for the work of the Court.

The ancient Kyrenia ship was discovered by a Cypriot diver in the mid ΄60s off the island’s northern coastal town of Kyrenia, under Turkish occupation since 1974, and has been on display since its discovery. It offered historians a valuable insight into the shipping and trade industry of its era, around 300 BC.

In his remarks at a special ceremony to mark the occasion, Markides said the donation was a symbolic gesture from Cyprus, a small island state in the Eastern Mediterranean, whose ship registry ranks sixth worldwide.

He said the Court plays an important role in applying and consolidating international law with regard to the sea.

The Ambassador referred briefly to the history of the ship, saying that it symbolizes the capability of the people of Cyprus to draw strength from their centuries-old and turbulent history to strive for freedom of the country, part of which is still occupied by Turkey.

The replica of the Kyrenia ship will be on display at the Court premises.

The ship was a small Greek trade vessel carrying a cargo of wine in Rhodian amphorae and sank off Kyrenia coast around 306 BC. The hull was about 15 m. long and was protected from fouling by a lead cover.

The wreck lies on a sandy bottom at a depth of 30 m., and a large part of the hull has been well preserved by sendiments, together with the complete cargo, including several hundreds of amphorae.