Piraeus Port Authority S.A. has received two new prestigious awards, being named both True Leader and ESG Leading Company of the Year. The “True Leaders” award, presented by ICAP CRIP, a leading group specializing in credit risk solutions and creditworthiness assessments, recognizes companies that stand out in the Greek market based on objective criteria derived from publicly available data. PPA S.A. has earned the “True Leaders” title once again this year, ranking among the top 500 companies in Greece with the highest profitability (EBITDA) in 2023, as well as a large employee base, placing it as a leader in the port industry.

The ESG Leading Company of the Year award, presented by Naftemporiki, highlights the importance of responsible business practices and sustainability. The award recognizes companies that integrate ESG, Environmental, Social, and Governance, criteria into their strategies and operations.

Mr. Su Xudong, CEO of PPA S.A., expressed the company’s satisfaction with these two significant awards, noting that they reflect the results of ongoing and systematic efforts at the port. The company’s strategy focuses on the development and modernization of Piraeus across all areas of port operations, while maintaining a consistent focus on sustainability and ESG principles. This approach has enabled PPA S.A. to maintain its position for another year as a top-performing company.

About PPA S.A.:  Piraeus Port Authority SA is an Athens Stock Exchange listed company engaged in the management and operation of Piraeus port, Greece’s largest port and one of the largest integrated harbours in Europe, providing a complete range of services. Some of the company’s activities involve cruise, coastal (ferry/passenger), container and car terminal services, as well as general cargo, ship repair, logistic and free zone services. The main shareholder of Piraeus Port Authority S.A., with a stake of 67 percent, is COSCO SHIPPING, one of the largest maritime companies in the world.

Over the last decade the company has experienced a remarkable growth in all port activities, which is still underway, largely contributing to the country’s economy, while driven by green development and increased digitalization, alongside a people-first approach and a spirit of giving back to the society.

PPA is a member of “ECO PORTS”, holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018 Certifications, is included in the Athens Stock Exchange ESG index and is one of the “Most Sustainable Companies in Greece 2024”.

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Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) recently hosted the 37th Hellenic Marine Technical Committee meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Athens, bringing together maritime leaders and technical experts to discuss critical issues shaping the industry. The meeting began with a welcome address from George Sarris, Chairman of the Committee and President of Enterprises Shipping & Trading S.A., who emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing the sector's challenges.

George Andreadis, Marine Chief Executive for Greece at BV, echoed this sentiment, reaffirming Bureau Veritas’ commitment to supporting the Greek maritime community. The event featured a series of key presentations.

Dr. John Kokarakis, Technical Director for the SEEBA Zone at BV, provided an overview of the latest regulatory updates, while Maria Lambardaki, Project Developer for the SEEBA Zone at BV, shared insights on the FUEL EU framework and a biofuels assessment study, highlighting developments that will shape future compliance strategies.

Bill Stamatopoulos, Global Business Development Director at BV Verifuel, introduced new charter party clauses for fuels and biofuels, aligned with ISO 8217-2024, sparking an engaging Q&A session. In the afternoon session, safety considerations for alternative fuels were discussed by Vassilios Dimoulas, Technology & Innovation Director for the SEEBA Zone at BV. The agenda also featured the launch of MOVE, an innovative collaborative platform by Bureau Veritas, introduced by George Stefanis, Commercial Manager for the SEEBA Zone.

The event concluded with an in-depth discussion of IACS Rec 34 (Rev.2), led by Quentin Derbanne, Scientific Director at BV. George Andreadis, Marine Chief Executive for Greece at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: “This year’s discussions reflected the evolving challenges and opportunities in the maritime industry, particularly around decarbonization, regulatory compliance, and technological innovation.

At Bureau Veritas, we remain committed to being a trusted partner for the Greek maritime community, providing tailored solutions to help the stakeholders navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing landscape. The Technical Committee meeting continues to be a vital platform for collaboration, allowing us to stay aligned with industry needs and drive forward the shared goal of a sustainable and innovative maritime sector.”

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Τhe Amver Awards have been established as one of the most important events of Greek shipping at the protection of human life at sea at the United States of America waters. This year's event, organized by the Propeller Club of Piraeus in collaboration with the USCG taking place in a festive atmosphere where 216 shipping companies and 1830 ships were awarded. As the president of the Propeller Club, Costis Frangoulis, said in his speech, the US Coast Guard's Amver rescue system is performing a titanic task by honoring the crews and executives of Greek shipping. In a challenging shipping environment due to war conflicts and catastrophic climate events, the Amver system is of great importance for safeguarding the human life in distress at sea.

This year, 9 companies were also honored with the special award, which carried out 297 rescues of people at sea. The following companies received the award: Navarone S.A., Alma Shipmanagement, StarBulk, Sea Pioneer Shipping, Capital Shipmanagement, Athemar Maritime, Enterprises Shipping & Trading, Bright Navigation, Seagate Navigation.

Present at the event were the Minister of Shipping, Mr. Stylianides, the Deputy Minister of Shipping of Cyprus, Ms. Hatzimanoli, the US Ambassador, Mr. Tsounis, the President of the NEE, Mr. G. Father, President of the Propeller Club of Limassol, Mr. Polys Hadjiioannou, and shipowner Capt. Panagiotis Tsakos, a long-time supporter of the Amver Awards.

It should be noted that Ambassador George Tsounis, who will complete his term shortly after the new year, was honored with the special Alfonse R. Sasseville President’s Award for his fruitful and very positive contribution to Greece-US relations achieving their further strengthening and upgrading.

Mr. Tsounis said that he would always care about his homeland and exclaimed, “Long live Greece, long live Cyprus, long live America.”

The Fidelity Award was presented to the companies that have the greatest contribution in the Amver program, which were Angelicoussis group, TMS Group, Thenamaris Shipmanagement, Capital Shipmanagement, Technomar, Vships, Laskaridis Shipping, Tsakos group, Danaos Shipping, Star Bulk.

The International Propeller Club Maritime Person of the Year Award was presented to the Deputy Minister of Shipping of the Republic of Cyprus, Mrs. Marina Hatzimanoli.

An honorary plaque was presented to the USCG representative, Rear Admiral Mark J. Fedor.

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TMS continues its newbuilding program with the addition of hull numbers 0316318 and 0316319 to our growing fleet.

The company’s two newest Suezmax tankers, M/T “IPANEMA” and M/T “TOSKA”, were successfully delivered by New Times Shipbuilding in China at the end of November, marking another milestone in TMS’s extensive newbuilding program.

Built to the highest standards of efficiency and sustainability, these state-of-the-art, eco-friendly vessels are equipped with scrubbers and shaft generators, reflecting the company’s commitment to innovation. Their enhanced cargo tank capacity positions them to meet evolving trading demands with agility and reliability.

Present to the above deliveries were the CEO Mr. Liu Haijin, Executive Deputy General Manager Mr. Zhang Yuyong, Deputy General Manager & Executive Director Mr. Yuan Heng, Principal of TMS Tankers Ms. Alexandra Economou, TMS Tankers NB Manager Mr. Vaggelis Pelekanos, Assistant Chief of Surveyor of ABS Mr. Christos Nomikos and other VIP guests attended this ceremony.

Godmother Ms. Alexandra Economou named the vessel 0316318 for "IPANEMA".

Godmother Ms. Sofia Manola named the vessel 0316319 for "TOSKA".

TMS stated in the following message: “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the exceptional teams at New Times Shipbuilding, Class ABS, our site office members, and everyone involved in the construction process.

Most importantly, we thank our seafarers for their unwavering dedication and hard work and wish them fair winds and safe voyages as they embark on this new chapter at sea!”

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On Saturday 7/12/2024 was held the naming ceremony of the tug “SVS I”. The tugboat is the first newbuilding of the Maritime Company SVS, established with the participation of three leading companies of the towing and salvage sector (VERNIKOS-SPANOPOULOS-LYMPOUSAKIS). The tug was built at the Med Marine Shipyards in Eregli, Turkey. It belongs to the design series of the world-renowned Canadian designer Robert Allan and covers a wide range of operational capabilities such as port and open sea tows and on-site alert. It has a bollard pull of 75 tons, a powerful external fire extinguishing system class Fi-Fi 1, as well as equipment for pollution control.

During the greeting on behalf of the Board of Directors of the company, it was mentioned, among other things, that the company SVS is proceeding with the implementation of a business plan that provides significant investments, in order to meet the challenges of the industry. Its aim is to form the necessary conditions for the expansion and qualitative upgrading of the offered tugboat services, giving priority to the market needs.

Additionally, the new tug “SVS I” that enters into the fleet of SVS and the forthcoming sister tug that is expected to be launched in April, emphasizes the dedication of the company to play a crucial role in supporting its activities and serve the ever-increasing needs.

Finally, special reference was made to the contribution of Attika Bank and its efforts to promote shipping activities and especially to the towing industry, with significant financial resources for the purchase of modern tugs. Thus, SVS is looking forward to future cooperation with the bank, reflected to the christening of the newbuilding by the Director of the bank's shipping department, Mr. Konstantinos Economou.

The event was successfully concluded wishing officers and crew safe voyages with the benediction of Saint Nikolas.

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Data-driven insight and technology will play an increasing role in compliant sailings but investment in these tools and equipment must be distributed across stakeholders.

Shipping must be open to sharing the risks associated with emissions reduction to enable the uptake of energy savings devices and technologies (ESDs/ESTs) and digital applications. The responsibility of investing in and driving the uptake of new solutions must be borne by all relevant stakeholders and not sit solely with the shipowner.

This extends not only to financial exposure, but also new vessel design and data sharing, delegates from the Greek shipping community learned at a Lloyd’s Register (LR) event on 5 December. When major change is introduced on a ship, there are numerous aspects to consider by all stakeholders involved which all add risk. Energy producers, the energy consumers, the associated supply chains, and the investors, insurers, regulators, class societies and governments – all have critical, but different and highly inter-related roles to play within the transition.

The Athens event, Powering Progress: Innovation and Energy in Maritime, was an opportunity for shipping companies to consider how the industry must evolve, and how relationships between stakeholders should be re-evaluated, to develop a compliant and commercially attractive fleet that is ready for 2030 and beyond.

Anthi Miliou, LR’s Global Maritime Commercial Director, was joined on stage by Konstantinos Petropoulos, General Manager, Head of Shipping & Structured Finance at Piraeus Bank, Fotis Belexis, Technical Director of Starbulk Carriers, and Zafiris Rokidis, Rear Admiral, Director General Directorate for Ships’ Control, Hellenic Coast Guard who discussed risk sharing across stakeholders for complex capital investments. 

Belexis pointed out that as existing vessels age, they cannot be replaced by newbuilds as there is insufficient global shipbuilding capacity to replenish the fleet with newer tonnage. Older vessels may therefore remain in the market for longer than expected and not depreciate in value as has been the case in the past. Banks and other lenders must realise this and adjust their depreciation and lending models to suit when ship owners want to finance retrofits of ESDs on their older ships, he said. 

Highlighting the significant challenge of the human element in relation to training and skills for new fuels and ESDs,  Belexis emphasized the important role of green corridors and clusters to foster synergies between stakeholders. Rokidis supported this statement, commenting that open communication with all involved stakeholders is critical if the industry is to achieve low or zero emissions.

From a finance perspective, companies’ sustainability plans will come under increasing scrutiny when seeking finance said Petropoulos, and the risks associated with green transition and how such risks are managed and shared among various stakeholders, will impact credit decisions.   

Delegates also considered the additional dynamic of carbon pricing and what it is going to cost them. These additional costs shift decision making and influence how Return on Investment (ROI), CAPEX (Capital) and OPEX (Operational) Expenditure are calculated. Performance and voyage management software, driven by high quality data, will become fundamental to understanding this, bringing clarity to how ships are operated, from their exposure to financial risk with EUAs under EU ETS to ship and fleet pooling arrangements in FuelEU, delegates learned. 

Data-driven scenario planning will also verify savings gained through ESDs, to inform charter party agreements and capital investment of expensive technologies. Sharing data within key stakeholder groups will be fundamental to determine and assess ROI and attract financing. 

David Lloyd, Director, Energy Transition at LR, said: “Smart vessel operation and well-informed, data-led investment decisions can significantly support vessel compliance. What’s more, investments don’t have to be extensive to achieve results. Whilst uncertainties around bigger challenges such as alternative fuels and future requirements are resolved, ESDs and digital solutions can support the commercial viability of vessels as we approach 2030 with often surprisingly low levels of investment. But these investments should be shared across all stakeholders and not be limited to owners and financiers.” 

Elina Papageorgiou, Global Strategic Growth Director and VP Greece and Cyprus at LR, said: “We are in a new era of shipping that comes with a different set of rules,  including shipping companies’ approach risk and risk sharing. Longer-term investment decisions should also be informed by the decisions of shipping’s clients’, clients – the cargo owners – and align with their emissions reduction ambitions.”  

The room agreed that energy saving devices (ESDs), such as WAPS, digital solutions and smart operations should all be considered as the in-service fleet using traditional fuels seeks to shave its fuel consumption to comply with IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator,  EU ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) and FuelEU regulations – the latter will which be in effect as of 1 January 2025.  

As emissions reduction targets increase, with steeper increments than currently planned potentially being announced at the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting in May next year, data-led insight and scenario planning will become more important to understand where efficiencies can be gained.

Image: Elina Papageorgiou, LR’s Global Strategic Growth Director and VP Greece and Cyprus on stage at the event

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With Christmas and the New Year approaching, PPA S.A. successfully concluded its comprehensive annual social contribution program, delivering impactful initiatives to strengthen and support local communities, neighboring municipalities, children and the company’s employees.

One of the program highlights was a special event where the company distributed annual gift vouchers to children from the port municipalities. A total of 4,000 gift vouchers were delivered to the mayors of Piraeus, Perama, Keratsini-Drapetsona and Salamis by PPA’s management. An additional 1,000 gift vouchers were given to children of the Metal Workers Union of Attica and the Workers of Greece’s Ship Repair Industry. PPA S.A. also supported Union families by covering the cost of their Christmas celebration at the Stone Warehouse on its premises.

In collaboration with the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus, PPA S.A. enhanced the “love meals” program, further supporting the Metropolis’s charitable work. Additional gift vouchers were distributed to social organizations across the region.

PPA S.A. extended its commitment beyond holiday initiatives, continuing its monthly support of local social supermarkets. These contributions enable the purchase of products and food that are essential for the social supermarkets’ operation.

PPA S.A. CEO, Mr. Su Xudong, shared his wishes for a prosperous New Year filled with good health. He underscored that continuous social contribution and support remain key pillars of the company’s strategy. Reflecting these values, the company consistently implements its annual corporate responsibility program with commitment and dedication.

About PPA S.A.: Piraeus Port Authority SA is an Athens Stock Exchange listed company engaged in the management and operation of Piraeus port, Greece’s largest port and one of the largest integrated harbours in Europe, providing a complete range of services. Some of the company’s activities involve cruise, coastal (ferry/passenger), container and car terminal services, as well as general cargo, ship repair, logistic and free zone services. The main shareholder of Piraeus Port Authority S.A., with a stake of 67 percent, is COSCO SHIPPING, one of the largest maritime companies in the world.

Over the last decade the company has experienced a remarkable growth in all port activities, which is still underway, largely contributing to the country’s economy, while driven by green development and increased digitalization, alongside a people-first approach and a spirit of giving back to the society.

Image: From left to right: Mr. Panagiotis Mavreas, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Perama, Mr. Konstantinos Tsefalas, Secretary General of the Municipality of Keratsini-Drapetsona, Ms. Kaliotsou Giouli, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Salamina, Mr. George Panagopoulos, Mayor of Salamina, Mr. Yiannis Moralis, Mayor of Piraeus, Mr. Angelos Karakostas, Deputy CEO of PPA S.A. and Mr. Giannis Lagoudakos, Mayor of Perama.

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Metis, a leader in digital solutions for fleet performance management, and Nereus Digital Bunkers, a maritime software company specialising in marine fuels have entered into a strategic cooperation which aims to revolutionise bunkering operations through data-driven insights and streamlined processes.

By combining the strengths of both companies, this collaboration leverages cloud-to-cloud integration for seamless data exchange, delivering two unique services to support the optimal management and execution of bunkering processes. The Metis platform will provide detailed bunkering information by port—including indicative pricing, pricing trends, fuel quality reports, bunker delivery delays, and vendor performance ratings. This enables ship operators to access vital market data alongside fleet performance metrics. Meanwhile, the Nereus platform will benefit from real customer demand-driven inquiries during the voyage planning stage.

“The synergy between Nereus’s expertise in marine fuel management and Metis’s comprehensive performance insights marks a new chapter for maritime operational efficiency,” said Nikolas Gkikas, Founder - CEO, Nereus Digital Bunkers. “This is a collaboration which will drive greater value for the shipping community.”
“This partnership reflects our commitment to delivering holistic solutions that integrate diverse data sources for smarter decision-making,” commented Panos Theodossopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Metis. “It also underscores the vision we share with Nereus to empower the maritime sector with innovative tools that foster sustainability, efficiency, and transparency by providing actionable insights to optimise operations.”

About Metis

Metis is a leading, telemetry-first, fleet performance management company. Delivering transparent and forward-looking digital solutions, Metis enables people and organizations in the maritime industry to expand their capabilities, adapt to changing environments and embrace opportunities with a creative mindset. Established in 2016 with its headquarters in Athens, and with a subsidiary office in Singapore, Metis is part of a maritime-focused, sustainable solutions group owned by ERMA FIRST.

www.metis.tech 
About Nereus Digital Bunkers

Nereus Digital Bunkers is a Greek company with the goal of transforming the marine fuel industry through digital innovation. Its flagship SaaS platform, NEREUS, is designed to streamline and optimize the bunker purchasing process for maritime stakeholders, providing them with advanced tools and real-time data access across more than 200 ports. The platform serves as a comprehensive market research tool, enabling users to monitor fuel prices and market trends, optimizing procurement decisions with precision.

www.nereus.tech

image: Nikolas Gkikas, Founder - CEO, Nereus Digital Bunkers and Panos Theodossopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Metis

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Five international shipping companies have committed to deploying Orca AI’s cutting-edge automated situational-awareness platform on selected vessels. This milestone follows a strategic partnership forged earlier this year with NorthStandard, one of the world’s largest P&I clubs.

The collaboration between Orca AI and NorthStandard aims to enhance safety and operational efficiency, highlighting the shared dedication of both Orca AI and NorthStandard to innovative solutions that reduce navigational risks and safeguard vessels, crew, and cargo.

US-based Liberty Maritime and Curtin Maritime, Greece-based SeaTraders along with Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping and MMSL, are the first NorthStandard members to adopt the technology. Their decision facilitates broader uptake across the maritime sector and reinforces Orca AI’s and NorthStandard’s mission to protect members’ assets and ensure the well-being of seafarers.

By implementing Orca AI’s advanced platform — which includes the SeaPod computer-vision lookout unit and the FleetView application for shore offices — these companies are poised to improve navigational safety and enhance their claims records.

“We're thrilled to welcome these established shipping companies as the latest adopters of our technology,” said Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-founder of Orca AI. “Their commitment to safety, efficiency, and reliability not only strengthens their individual operations through proactive risk management but also sets a benchmark for the broader maritime community. As the shipping industry undergoes transformational change, advanced technology is unlocking new opportunities for collaboration that benefit all stakeholders and wider society.”

About Orca AI

Orca AI is the creator of a first-of-its-kind digital watchkeeper to maximize voyage safety and operational efficiency for ships and fleets.

Powered by maritime purpose-built machine learning and computer vision technologies, the Orca AI platform empowers crew to make data-driven decisions in congested waters and in low visibility conditions. Additionally, it allows fleet managers and operators to have a better understanding of their fleets’ performance and identify unsafe or risky and inefficient behaviours easily.

In 2022, Orca AI empowered the world's first commercial autonomous voyage in partnership with Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ships (DFFAS) and The Nippon Foundation.

Orca AI’s solution is already utilized by leading shipping companies worldwide, including Maran Tankers, MSC, SeaSpan and NYK.

Image 1: Yarden Gross, Co-founder and CEO, Orca AI (Photo: Orca AI)

Image 2: Orca AI's SeaPod Digital Watchkeeper unit 

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Some of the most prestigious and successful names in Greek shipping walked off with major awards at the 21st Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards on the evening of Friday, December 6 – coincidentally St Nicholas’ Day, commemorating the patron saint of seafaring.

Dry bulk carrier owner and operator DryDel Shipping (formerly Meadway Shipping & Trading) was named Dry Cargo Company of the Year while Evangelos Marinakis’ Capital Group scooped the Tanker Company of the Year Award, primarily for its extraordinary investments in an ‘energy-transition’ fleet of gas carriers but also an ambitious construction programme for dual-fuel tankers.

Angelicoussis Group won The Sustainability Award in recognition not only of its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint through building vessels of the latest technology, but also for its gender diversity, education and personnel welfare policies. Star Bulk Carriers won the inaugural Deal of the Year Award for its merger with Eagle Bulk Shipping. The addition of the new ‘Deal of the Year’ has brought the number of competitive award categories to 19.

Personalities winning individual awards were led by Womens’ International Shipping & Trading Association President Elpi Petraki. She was named ‘Greek Shipping Personality of the Year’ for 2024, shortly after accepting the International Personality of the Year Award on behalf of its winner, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez. Mr Dominguez was unable to attend in person due to a busy week for the IMO in London that centred on the organisation’s Maritime Safety Committee meeting.

Themistocles Vokos, the Chairman of Posidonia Exhibitions and founder of the Seatrade Organisation, was recognised for a remarkable career with the Lloyd’s List / Propeller Club Lifetime Achievement Award.

Goldenport Group Chief Executive John Dragnis was unveiled as ‘Newsmaker of the Year’ after a period of making headlines across the tanker, dry bulk, offshore support vessel, FSRU and superyacht construction sectors. Sifis Vardinoyannis, director of bunkering company Sekavin, won the Next Generation Shipping Award.

With live music from the aptly-named Prestige Band, a popular Athens-based band that expanded for the evening into a six-piece with the addition of bass and saxophone, the event entertained an international audience of about 1,100 guests. But – as it has done throughout its two decades of history – the world’s biggest shipping awards event proved to be a platform that reflected and engaged with serious and urgent issues, too.

Accomplished young sailor Amalia Provelengiou won a special Woman of the Sea Award. As stated in the citation for the award, courage and determination are traditionally characteristics of a good sailor but Ms Provelengiou also exemplified these qualities in successfully bringing Greece’s first “MeToo” case against the sailing coach who had abused her. The Award was an expression of solidarity from Greece’s shipping industry at a time when many Greek shipping companies are attracting more women officers and more women are eyeing a maritime career. Ms Provelengiou’s story provides the basis of a brand new documentary film, ‘Tack’, directed by Vania Turner and produced by Onassis Culture. The ‘Person of the Sea Award’ is a rarely-given special award that is then personalised as either ‘Man of the Sea’ or ‘Woman of the Sea’ depending on the recipient.

The Safety Award went to EUNAVFOR Operation Aspides, the EU’s maritime security operation shielding shipping from attacks by the rebel Houthi faction in Yemen. The operation, which is of geopolitical as well as humanitarian importance, is under the leadership of Greece and headquartered in Larissa.

As ‘Ship of the Year’, the judging panel chose the FSRU “Alexandroupolis”, the converted LNG carrier that is at the heart of Gastrade’s LNG terminal in the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis.

The Passenger Line of the Year Award was won by Variety Cruises, a Greece-based family-run boutique cruise operation that has celebrated its 75th year in 2024. In contrast to the megaships dominating today’s cruise industry, it offers life-enriching, human scale cruises that focus on respect and discovery of the cultures visited by their ships, providing travelers with authentic experiences that reflect cultural and ecological sustainability and inclusiveness, leaving a minimal footprint behind.

A highlight of the awards ceremony was the presentation of the Award for Achievement in Education or Training to the Tsakos Merchant Marine Academy, recently opened in Chios under the auspices of the Maria Tsakos Public Benefit Foundation – International Centre for Maritime Research and Tradition. The award was accepted personally by Captain Panagiotis Tsakos whose vision and determination was fulfilled by establishing what is the first non-state and non-profit academy in Greece.

Several other important awards recognised excellence and value in Greece’s maritime cluster. Neptune Maritime Leasing was voted ‘Shipping Financier of the Year’, while dry bulk chartering specialist Diamond Shipbroking was named ‘Shipbroker of the Year’.

YES Forum, a platform for connecting high-school and university students with the shipping and sea tourism industries, won the Piraeus International Centre Award. The Marine Technical Managers Association, better known as Martecma, was presented with the Technical Achievement Award. The Lloyd’s List Intelligence Big Data Award was won by Harbor Lab.

Captain Michalis Lignos and Captain Stamatis Kalfamanolis, master and reserve master of Blue Star Ferries’ ro-ro passenger ferry Blue Star Paros, were honoured as Seafarer of the Year for outstanding conduct on the night of September 18 this year in rescuing six passengers from a speedboat taking on water off the island of Paros. The rescue was completed just seconds before the small craft sank.

In a welcome address, the Minister of Shipping & Island Policy Christos Stylianides offered his congratulations to the nominees as well as the winners of the 2024 Awards. “The Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards are a leading institution that recognises and rewards the excellence, innovation and contribution of all those who have made Greek shipping a world-leader,” he said.

Neptune Maritime Leasing was the overall lead sponsor of the Greek Shipping Awards once again.

Guests enjoyed a pre-dinner drinks reception hosted by Allegiant (Shipping) while CMB Financial Leasing offered the traditional champagne toast to the health of Greek shipping.

A donation from proceeds of the event went to ‘Argo’, the charity supporting children with disabilities in the families of Greek seafarers. The donation was kindly presented to Argo by Ilias Bolis, director at Allied Shipbroking, which also sponsored the Gallery of Winners, an entrance chamber chronicling past honorees of the event launched in 2004.

The annual awards recognise achievement and meritorious activity in the Greek shipping industry and promote Greece as a maritime centre. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges representing a broad cross-section of the Greek shipping industry.

The Greek Shipping Awards thanked all the Greek and international sponsors of the prestigious event, many of which have loyally supported the Awards for many years. This year saw the IRI / The Marshall Islands Registry complete 10 years of support for the event, a milestone recognised in the form of an honorary statuette presented to the sponsor.

Winners at a Glance

Dry Cargo Company of the Year: DryDel Shipping

Tanker Company of the Year: Capital Group

Passenger Line of the Year: Variety Cruises

Shipbroker of the Year: Diamond Shipbroking

Shipping Financier of the Year: Neptune Maritime Leasing

Technical Achievement Award: Martecma

Lloyd’s List Intelligence Big Data Award: Harbor Lab

Piraeus International Centre Award: YES Forum

The Safety Award: EUNAVFOR Operation Aspides

International Personality of the Year: Arsenio Dominguez

Achievement in Education or Training: Tsakos Merchant Marine Academy

Seafarer of the Year: Capt. Stamatis Kalfamanolis & Capt. Michael Lignos

Ship of the Year: FSRU “Alexandroupolis”

The Sustainability Award: Angelicoussis Group

Woman of the Sea: Amalia Provelengiou

Deal of the Year: Star Bulk Carriers

Next Generation Shipping Award: Sifis Vardinoyannis

Lloyd’s List/Propeller Club Lifetime Achievement Award: Themistocles Vokos

Greek Shipping Newsmaker of the Year: John Dragnis

Greek Shipping Personality of the Year: Elpi Petraki

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