Merchant shipping has been actively developed by successive governments since the independence of Cyprus from British rule in 1960 and has since experienced sustained growth. The first shipping hub was created in the port of Famagusta, but since the Turkish invasion of 1974 the port has been occupied and is currently declared illegal. Most business are now transferred to Limassol Port and to a lesser extent Larnaca Port. Cyprus has traditionally been a popular shipping centre and home to some of the leading names of the global shipping industry. Among the ship management companies established and operating, 87% are controlled by EU interests. These companies employ almost 40.000 seafarers out of whom 5.000 are EU nationals. According to the latest governmental estimates, the total fleet managed from Cyprus represents 20% of the world third–party ship management market (out of 10.000 ships in the world shipmanagement market under a wide approach).