The ESG Shipping Awards International 2026 brought together more than 400 maritime companies and industry stakeholders in Athens, as shipping companies from around the world came together to see their ESG actions and initiatives recognized and awarded for their contribution to a more sustainable and responsible shipping industry.
Held in Athens for its fourth consecutive year, the awards received a record number of almost 300 entries, with more than 50% submitted by international shipping companies representing all continents confirming the growing global momentum behind ESG transformation within the maritime sector.
The event was presented by Principal Organizer Mrs. Helena Athoussaki together with the host of the evening, Mrs. Dora Anagnostopoulou, while opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Emmanouil Koutoulakis, Secretary General of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and Mr. George Sp. Alexandratos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping.
Special recognitions included the Honorary Motivational Leadership Award presented to Mr. Costas Delaportas, CEO of DryDel Shipping Inc., for his outstanding leadership and personal contribution to advancing ESG principles within the company’s strategy and operations, as well as the Special ESG Initiative Award presented to IMPA SAVE for its collective impact through sustainable procurement and emissions reduction initiatives.
A keynote discussion by Mr. Aveesh Acharya, EMEA Sustainable Finance Market Specialist, Bloomberg L.P., explored how geopolitical instability is reshaping trade routes, operational resilience, emissions exposure, and ESG risk across global shipping.
Independence & Transparency
The ESG Shipping Awards International continues to operate under a strict independent evaluation framework. Participating shipping companies are not permitted to sponsor the event, ensuring that all recognitions reflect merit, measurable ESG performance, and the assessment of the independent judging committee. For full transparency, each award presentation also displayed the winning action, company size and ESG profile level.
New Transformation Leader Award Introduced
This year also marked the introduction of the new Transformation Leader Award, recognizing companies fundamentally transforming their business models through innovation, future fuels, digitalization, fleet renewal and long-term ESG integration.
Community Contribution: The Most Active Category
The Community Contribution category received the highest number of nominations, highlighting the maritime industry’s growing commitment to healthcare, education, environmental restoration, and social impact.
To recognize this exceptional participation, the organizing committee also introduced special ESG Recognition Medallions for additional outstanding initiatives.
During the closing of the ceremony, Principal Organizer Helena Athoussaki announced the continued international expansion of the platform, revealing plans to expand the ESG Shipping Awards platform into Asia in 2027.
The evening concluded with the official winners’ family photo followed by a live celebration performance.
The organizing committee extended sincere appreciation to:
Judging Committee: J.A.A.J. (Jan) Fransen Executive Director – Green Award Foundation | Chair of the Judging Committee, Dafne Anghelidis, Executive Committee Member of WISTA International, Vice President of WISTA Argentina, Prof. Maria Boile, Director Quantitative Analysis in Shipping Laboratory | Department of Maritime Studies | University of Piraeus, Andreas Chrysostomou, Executive Director, Clean Shipping Alliance Sascha Gill CEO, United Waterways - Vice President, European River Cruise Association
Dr. Tafsir Matin Johansson, Associate Professor, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) in Malmö, Sweden, Prof. Andreas A. Papandreou, Environmental Economics National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dr. Aspasia Pastra, Assistant Professor, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, World Maritime University, Elisabeth Vishnevskaja, Head of Fixed Income, PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment)
Partners: ABS | Bloomberg | Coral Marine | DeepSea TECHNOLOGIES | EUROBANK |The Liberian Registry
Ambassadors: Bureau Veritas | CSE | Εmicert | EUROCHEM INTERNATIONAL| GTP Works | Harbor Lab | Jotun Performance Coatings | KPMG | MARICHEM MARIGASES WORLDWIDE SERVICES | Marine Tours | Moore | Oceanscore | osapiens | Piraeus Container Terminal | PIRAEUS PORT AUTHORITY S.A.| RINA | Skuld | TÜV NORD Hellas | VDI Law Firm
Supporting organizations: Alba Graduate Business School - The American College of Greece| AMMITEC| Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping | Athens Exchange Group | Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) | Corporate Responsibility Institute (CRI) | CSR Hellas, Green Award | HELMEPA | Hellenic Institute of Marine Technology |Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association | Hellenic-Spanish Chamber of Commerce | IBIA | IMPA SAVE | Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS)-Hellenic Management Centre | INTERMEPA | Project Connect |Propeller Club | SDSN Greece | Wista | Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Communication Supporters All About Shipping |Business Events Calendar| Crisis Monitor| Cyprus Shipping News| Efoplistes News| ELNAVI| Hellas Tour| MARITIME INTELIGENCE| Maritimes Economies| Maritimes.gr| Mononews| Naftika Chronika| Newsfront Naftiliaki| Piraeus365.gr| The Business Paradox
Event Team: Digital Shadows Agency |The Flying Pig
Live: Dionysis Schinas
ESG Shipping Awards International 2026 – Winners
ESG Leader Award
Presented by J.A.A.J. Fransen, Chairman of the Judging Committee
GOLD: Odfjell SE,
SILVER: Pacific Basin Shipping Limited,
BRONZE: Century Bulk Carriers Management Co.
Environment Leader Award
Presented by George A. Tsavliris, President of CYMEPA, Vice President of INTERMEPA
GOLD - Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
SILVER - Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM)
SILVER - V Group of Companies
BRONZE - Compagnie Maritime Marfret
Social Leader Award
Presented by First Deputy Commandant Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral HCG Fotios Kiamos
GOLD - Fleet Management Limited
SILVER - Island Oil (Holdings) Ltd
BRONZE - V. Group
Governance Leader Award
Presented by Jovana Radomir, Head of CIB Sustainability Center of Excellence, EUROBANK
GOLD - Diana Shipping Inc.
SILVER - Chandris (Hellas) Inc.
BRONZE - Seaspan Corporation Pte. Ltd
People Leader Award
Presented by Michalis Pantazopoulos, Executive Vice President, Liberian Registry
GOLD - Columbia Group
SILVER - Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (SHIP)
BRONZE - Performance Shipping Inc.
Transformation Leader Award
Presented by Katerina Dede, Country Manager for Greece, Bloomberg L.P.
GOLD - Capital Group
SILVER - Lemissoler Navigation Co. Ltd
BRONZE - Starling Fleet Holding AG
Technology Leader Award
Presented by Alkistis Kyriakopoulou, Chief Business Officer, DeepSea Technologies
GOLD - Tsakos Group of Companies
SILVER - Navios Maritime Partners L.P.
BRONZE- Wallem Group
Community Contribution Leader Award
Presented by Sophie Daskalaki-Mytilineou, Chair of the Board of Directors of the UN Global Compact Network Greece
GOLD - Contships Management Inc.
GOLD - Carnival Corporation & plc
SILVER - Stolt Tankers
BRONZE - SEKAVIN S.A.
Climate Change Leader Award
Presented by Kirki Kalantzi, GM Coral AE (Shell Licensee)
GOLD - AET
SILVER - Castor Ships S.A.
BRONZE - Sea Pioneer Shipping Corporation
Industry Partnership Leader Award
Presented by Helena Athoussaki, Principal Organizer ESG Shipping Awards
GOLD - OPTIMUM Ship Management Services S.A. CELESTYAL
SILVER - Latsco Shipping Limited
BRONZE - Spring Marine
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