MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands hosting Red Ensign Group Conference in February

The event is being supported by the Falkland Islands Government, and the Red Ensign will fly at Victory Green during the Conference.

More than 50 maritime professionals from across the Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies and the UK are coming to the Falkland Islands for the Red Ensign Group Conference.

The Conference, which covers matters of maritime interest including rules and regulations for ships, boats and other vessels and also the responsibility of coastal states in terms of search and rescue and pollution response, is being held in the Town Hall, Stanley, from 4th to 6th February.

The event is being supported by the Falkland Islands Government, and the Red Ensign will fly at Victory Green during the Conference.

Chris Locke, the Falkland Islands Government marine officer and harbormaster who is hosting the event, said: “I think it's tremendously important for our Government and for everyone else to see the significance of the maritime environment both here and internationally and how we here in the Falkland Islands play our role as part of the Red Ensign Group.”

The event which was first held 32 years ago, has also grown to include business strategy, policy and safety matters.

Since its small beginnings in 1988, it's been held every year at different locations, reflecting the geography of the Red Ensign Group which consists of the UK, the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man and Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This year it’s due to look at matters of technical interest and hold separate sessions for registrars and also for those who oversee coastal state preparedness including search and rescue and counter-pollution response.

You can follow the Conference on Twitter (#REG2020) or on Facebook or via the website www.redensigngroup.org