Posidonia 2022 Conferences Set the Course in Tumultuous Times

The upcoming Posidonia 2022 Conferences and Seminars Programme will dive into the crucial issues facing the global maritime community as the world economy tries to concoct antidotes to heal the wounds of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the severe side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Skyrocketing energy prices, broken supply chains and upcoming environmental regulations are piling the pressure on shipowners and fleet operators to deliver profitability, shareholder value and 90 percent of the world trade. This makes June’s Posidonia exhibition a must-attend event, not just for maritime stakeholders, but also for industry-wide decision makers, regulators and policy makers as well as for government officials, world leaders, analysts and academics.   

The exhibition will be held from June 6-10 at the Athens Metropolitan Expo and will offer delegates and hosts a much-anticipated platform to learn, interact and network, following a four-year hiatus since the last time it was held in its traditional physical format.

“Our program’s lineup of distinguished speakers and rich content of inspirational keynote speeches, thought-provoking panel discussions, powerful presentations, seminars and workshops is designed to trigger the entrepreneurial spirit of the international maritime community in its quest for success during these economically and geopolitically challenging circumstances,” said Theodore Vokos, Managing Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A.

The TradeWinds Shipowners Forum will kick-off the conference program with a stimulating discussion on how to manage the era-defining challenge of decarbonization. Themed as "Seize the Moment in the Energy Transition," the TradeWinds forum will feature three strong panel discussions and present opportunities to network with peers and leading industry players. Some leading names from the global shipping arena have already been confirmed as speakers at the Forum. They include Harry Vafias, Stealth Maritime Corp, Angeliki Frangou, Navios Maritime Holdings, Evangelos M. Marinakis, Capital Maritime & Trading Corp., John Coustas, Danaos Corporation, Nick Tsakos, Tsakos Energy Navigation, John Michael Radziwill, C Transport Maritime, Alex Hadjipateras, Dorian LPG and Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS, among others.

The importance of decarbonization in the agenda of shipowners will be reflected in a panel discussion hosted by BIMCO, the world's largest direct-membership organization for shipowners. Leading maritime specialists will share expertise, ambition and strategies for decarbonizing shipping, and will consider whether the industry is taking adequate steps to meet the IMO’s goals and the wider global decarbonization challenge. 

Energy transition also headlines the 3rd Trading in U.S. Waters Seminar. Titled "Towards a Decarbonized Maritime Sector by 2050," it is expected to draw a strong audience of ship-owners and shipping industry experts. Seminar participants will gain a deeper understanding of the current state of the shipping and marine services industry, get updated on latest trends and developments for each topic and hear views about the opportunities and challenges ahead. 

"Digitalization Demystified" and "All hands on Deck: Shaping the future of Seafaring" are the two sessions of Seatrade Maritime’s inaugural summit in association with the Global Maritime Club. Scheduled for June 9, the event will be keynoted by Minister Giannis Plakiotakis, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Hellenic Republic. Other confirmed speakers include Ben Palmer OBE, Inmarsat Marine; Sean Fernback, Wartsila Voyage; Mike Konstantinidis, METIS Cyberspace Technology; Henrik Jensen, Danica Maritime Services GmbH; Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, WISTA; Mark O’Neil, Columbia Shipmanagement & InterManager; John Platsidakis, Intercargo and Peter Schellenberg, Thome Group. 

Greek shipping industry leaders and Greek government officials will share their insight and views on critical topics in a series of panels during the Capital Link Forum to take place on June 6. The Forum will address a wide range of issues impacting the industry, such as supply and demand challenges, LNG/LPG, green shipping, digitalization and - as always - financing and the difficulties of getting access to it. 

HELMEPA’s Conference will showcase Sustainable Shipping with a lively panel discussion of three generations of distinguished Greek shipowners and cross-industry leaders from the international community, who will share their insights into the key questions facing the industry going forward, and reflect on how shipping has evolved over the last few decades. Fittingly, the event will be held on June 8, designated by the UN as World Oceans Day. 

During the highly interactive and engaging SHARK TANK event, young entrepreneurs will be offered the chance to pitch their ideas for innovative technologies advancing the shipping industry to an audience of shipowners and potential investors who will determine whether to "invest" using fictitious funds, in these new and innovative technologies. The format provides an exceptional opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas and receive instant feedback from the industry. At the same time, it provides the industry a “first look” and insights into the latest tech, offering significant value add for all participants. “We are bringing the hugely successful SHARK TANK to the global market for the first time,” stated SHIPPINGInsight’s Chief Evolution Officer, Carleen Lyden Walker. “In the five years we have conducted SHARK TANK, 80 percent of our entrepreneur participants have been picked up or trialed in the shipping industry.”

The WISTA HELLAS "Women at Sea" event, titled "How close we are to gender diversity on board?" attempts to identify the reasons behind the low numbers of women seafarers on board and explore whether we need more effective policies for the advancement of seafaring careers for women. Elpi Petraki, President, WISTA Hellas, said: “According to the latest BIMCO/ICS 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report, women represent just 1.28 percent of the global seafarer workforce. Although there is a 45.8 percent increase in numbers of women seafarers since 2015, the statistics underline that women are massively underrepresented as seafaring professionals. This is a major issue that needs to be addressed.”

Posidonia, the international shipping exhibition, has long been established as one of the major calendar events of the shipping industry. The international exhibition first took place in 1969 and has been taking place every two years ever since. It is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, the Union of Greek Shipowners and the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping and with the support of the Municipality of Piraeus and the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee.