Mr Titus-Glover said that maritime is becoming more relevant in Ghana due to its contribution to increase in transnational trade, advancements in technology and the fact that Ghana's territorial waters are the safest. He said that such seminars help journalists to get details in the maritime field.

The ongoing port expansion project, he said, will be completed by June 2019 and the first two terminals will be operational by then. "When it is done, efficiency will be up, jobs will be created and there will be revenue for national development". He said few journalists report on the maritime industry despite the specializations available necessitating seminars of this nature.

The two institutions in charge of training journalists, the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the School of Communication at the University of Ghana, Legon have little in their curriculum on the maritime industry and he, therefore, called on the Ghana Journalists Association President, Mr Roland Affail Monney, to help develop curricula that will train journalists in this area.

Ms Benonita Bismarck, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority noted the relevance of such seminars for journalists saying it offers an opportunity to improve knowledge on development in current trade in the shipping sector. She said it is imperative that media practitioners are regularly empowered. "I've noticed some media houses have dedicated whole pages to the shipping related industry and I hope such seminars will whip up interest in the sector" she said.

She applauded the Ghana Journalists Association for their support saying they will continue to work to strengthen their relationship with the media. She revealed that "ShippersApp" is to be launched which will offer shipping service providers, the media, and the general public access to information, contacts and enquiries among others.

Ms Bismarck said that the Authority in the past few months has worked with the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders and  others, to educate shippers on how to reduce demurrage. She said their efforts are yielding results as payments from demurrage have reduced by 17.5 percent from USD100 million in 2016 to USD76 million in 2017. Total payments in 2018 so far, is about USD28.5 million, a reduction of about 21 percent compared to payments recorded for the same period in 2017.

Chairman for the seminar, Mr Kwabena Ofosu Appiah in his acceptance speech, said that the seminar is a form of capacity building for media persons because it increases their knowledge on maritime issues. " I have come to appreciate the importance of education on development in the maritime industry. An informed person makes our work easier as freight forwarders".

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Roland Affail Monney,  said that a World Bank study showed a relationship between a well researched story and a country's economy. He said that Ghana with all its resources and growth is yet to realise its dream of a Ghana Beyond Aid. He added that this means that the media  as to sharpen its skills in reporting.

He pointed out that the greatest need of journalists is "capacity building". The Ghana Journalists Association he said, will scale up capacity building for journalists and even non-members of the association. He said that a Memorandum of Understanding  has been signed which he said will reduce mediocrity.

The 6th Seminar was organised to improve the knowledge of journalists in the maritime industry and was attended by officials in the maritime industry and the media.