5th Trading in U.S. Waters Conference at Posidonia to Occur on June 4th

[By: NAMEPA]

As global shipping faces mounting geopolitical volatility, accelerating technological disruption, and growing pressure to modernize maritime operations, North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), in partnership with the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce will convene international maritime leaders on June 4th starting at 10:30 am, during Posidonia 2026 for 5th Trading in U.S. Waters: U.S. and Greek Approaches on Today’s Maritime Challenges, a high-level forum examining the evolving realities shaping global trade, maritime commerce, and strategic collaboration between the United States and the international shipping community. Additional collaborators include the U.S Embassy in Athens, the International Propeller Club, MARITIME Hellas and SHIPPINGInsight.

Held in Athens during one of the world’s largest maritime gatherings, this program will bring together senior government officials, shipowners, maritime executives, legal experts, innovators, and technology leaders for a day of discussions focused on compliance, competitiveness, maritime security, artificial intelligence, energy transition, and the future of shipping.

Opening remarks will feature leadership Elias Spirtounias and John Saracakis from the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, Yuri Arthur from the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Costis Frangoulis, President of International Propeller Club, and NAMEPA Chairman Joe Hughes, with the program moderated by Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder and CEO of NAMEPA and former IMO Maritime Ambassador.

“This event highlights the role of collaboration to gain insights from international and national experts on navigating today’s challenges, and opportunities: stated Ms. Walker. “Throughout this event we will be addressing the many disruptions facing our industry, with observations and information on how they can be addressed. We also feature a glimpse into the future with our SHARK TANK, and the new technologies that are being showcased.”

The agenda will feature a series of focused discussions including:

• Trading Smart in U.S. Waters: Compliance, Cost and Competitive Edge - examining the increasingly complex regulatory and commercial environment impacting companies operating in U.S. trade. Panelists include Sydney Plante, Acting Associate Administrator for the Maritime Administration, Aristidis Kourkoumelis, Assistant Secretary of Trade & Economic Security for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Matthew Thomas and Dana Merkel of Blank Rome Law Firm.
• Safeguarding Global Trade Amid Geopolitical Risk: a discussion centered on maritime security, shifting geopolitical alliances, industrial resilience, and the operational consequences of global instability, featuring perspectives from government officials, shipowners, insurers, economists, and maritime policy leaders. Speakers for this session include National Security Advisor to the Greek Prime Minister Thanos Dokos, Daniel Tadros, COO for the American P&I Club, Robert Obayda, Chief of Staff for Davie Shipbuilding, and Head Shipping Market Analyst for Latsco Marine Management Dr. Mariniki Psifia.
• Navigating the Future: AI in Global Shipping : exploring how artificial intelligence, predictive technologies, and digital systems are rapidly transforming maritime operations, logistics, and decision-making across the global supply chain. This session hears from Joshua Divin, Senior Vice President of Marine Business Development at American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Founder and CEO of SIgnalFusion Maria Kolitsida, and George Kokosalakis, Executive Director of the Center of Excellence in Shipping, Logistics & Energy at the American College of Greece.
• Optimizing Energy in Shipping: Technologies, Efficiency, and the Path Ahead: focused on the next generation of maritime energy solutions, operational efficiency strategies, and practical pathways toward a more sustainable shipping industry. Attendees will hear from Sydney Plante, Acting Associate Administrator for the U.S Maritime Administration (MARAD), Themis Vagiakos, ABS’s Directorof Global Sustainability, Cynthia Hudson President of Shoreline Hudson, Chief Technical Officer for Airglide AI Kirk Kaiser, and Sang Yi, American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) President and CEO.

The afternoon keynote will feature remarks from Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Vassilis Kikilias, followed by a strategic collaboration discussion between Panos Xenokostas, President & CEO of ONEX Shipyards & Technologies Group and Georgios Plevrakis, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at Hanwha Ocean focused on industrial cooperation and shipyard modernization opportunities.

The program will conclude with SHIPPINGInsight’s SHARK TANK competition, one of the most anticipated innovation showcases at Posidonia, where emerging U.S. maritime technology companies will pitch advanced solutions to a distinguished panel of global maritime executives, investors, and industry leaders. Participating companies include Aloft Systems, Carbon Ridge, Fleet Robotics, Quartermaster AI, Robot Toolworx, and Sidonia.

The SHARK TANK panel includes prominent leaders from the Honorable Kimberly Guilfoyle, U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Semiramis Paliou, CEO of Diana Shipping Inc., Marina Hadjipateras, Co-Founder of TMV, Dr. Nikolas Tsakos, CEO TEN Ltd., the President of Hellenic Chamber of Shipping George Alexandratos, Stephen Schueler, Chairman of Enerjen Capital, and the Vice President of Propeller Club of Piraeus Danae Beantakou.

“Trading in U.S. Waters” reflects NAMEPA’s continued mission to foster safer and more sustainable maritime operations while creating platforms for meaningful collaboration across the global maritime industry.

For more information and to register, visit 5th TRADING IN U.S. WATERS SEMINAR – American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce.