The present and the future of shipping was discussed by the sector's top protagonists during the third annual Naftemporiki Shipping Conference in Athens on 19 January 2017.  The successful event took place at the Athens Concert Hall.

George Tsavliris of Tsavliris Group participated in the first panel of the conference together with:

Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director, Grimaldi Group SpA, President, Italian Shipowners Association (Confitarma),

Panos Laskaridis, Managing Director, Laskaridis Shipping Co. Ltd, Vice President and President-designate European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA),

Anastasios Papagiannopoulos, Principal, Common Progress Co Na SA, President Designate, BIMCO,

Moderator of the discussion was Efthimios E. Mitropoulos KCMG, Secretary-General Emeritus IMO, Chairman, "Maria Tsakos" Foundation.

The first panel focused on the issue of retaining European shipping's competitiveness and implementing IMO regulations.

George Tsavliris said that the specter of environmental protection hangs over the sector, especially carbon emissions and ballast water management. He bemoaned the fact that varying regulations are now in place around the world, making compliance difficult and compliance costs unforeseeable.

George Tsavliris – Speech Video Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ebj6KDo_xk&index=11&list=PLwDocBHWTPAP-3I2eTOMdcNrsPYcDv8qi

Panos Lascaridis thoroughly decried what he called certain "quarters within the EU" that are trying to implement regional measures in the maritime shipping sector. Laskaridis said shipping issues, especially ones dealing with environmental protection, should be taken on a global scale and in a unified manner, and not with individual measures taken by organizations or regional actors. He recognized the need for shipping to contribute to environmental protection, to the degree that it relates to the sector. Additionally, he said European shipping must increasingly present a common front and voice.

On his part, Grimaldi Group SpA Managing Director and Italian Shipowners Association (Confitarma) president Emanuele Grimaldi touched on the need to deal with the environmental issues faced by the shipping sector, and the adaptation of the latest technological developments. He said that the current ferry boat sector in the Mediterranean was fragmented, with buyouts and mergers the necessary "tonic" to again make the sector robust and competitive, especially in the face of an onslaught by low-fare air carriers.

Anastasios Papagiannopoulos highlighted the importance that shipping has for the European Union, reminding that 90 percent of the bloc's external trade is conducted through sea transport; 37 percent of the internal trade. He added that 2.2 million people in the EU are employed in the shipping sector. Papagiannopoulos continued by saying that Europe holds 40 percent of the global maritime transport capacity, half of which is controlled by Greek interests. In terms of euros and cents, he said shipping contributes a whopping 147 billion euros annually to the Union's GDP, based on the most recent figures in 2013. "For every one million contributed by shipping to the EU's GDP, another 1.6 million is created in the economy," he said.

The panel session was moderated by Efthymios Mitropoulos, the IMO's honorary secretary-general, the president of the "Maria Tsakos" Foundation and one of the world's foremost shipping, maritime safety and harbor operations specialists. In his opening remarks, he referred to the word "uncertainty", which he said now dominates discussions and conference events on shipping. Nevertheless, he appeared positive over the long-term prospects for the sector.

During the conference Captain Panagiotis Tsakos was awarded the special Naftemporiki award by Mrs Irene Athanasiadou, Naftempiriki's publisher,  for his life-time achievements in shipping.

Conference - Programme, Speakers, Photographs:

http://events.naftemporiki.gr/ShippingConference2017