Prime minister launches Posidonia 2022
Posidonia 2022, the world’s biggest shipping fair, was launched on Monday evening, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presiding over the official opening of the biennial event that welcomes the global maritime community back to Athens following the pandemic-induced cancellation of the 2020 event.
Speaking in front of an 800-strong audience, Mitsotakis opened his speech praising the Greek shipping industry for its 7% contribution to the country’s GDP and the 200,000 jobs it has created for Greek citizens.
He also revealed details of a letter he sent to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen: “I called on her to make shipping a European priority with four pillars: first, to intensify the research and development of technologies and alternative fuels that will be compatible with the environment, safe for ships and sustainable for the economy; secondly, to review European legislation in order to ensure a level playing field in the transportation sector; thirdly, the distribution of revenue from the European emissions trading scheme, especially in maritime trade, to be fairly distributed among the member-states; and fourth, to apply the mechanism of the ‘polluter pays’ principle with the operator responsible and not the shipowner.”
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said: “Our role as regulators is to set the goal and the path to follow. It is for industry to choose the best technology for their vessels and business. Technologies are abundant – but not necessarily easy to implement at scale. And it is precisely these challenges that make Posidonia so important; a place to bring all actors together; to discuss, test, and forge new partnerships to move us forward.”
Day 2
The second day of Posidonia on Tuesday will be dominated by the conference organized by established industry publication Tradewinds. The Metropolitan Expo Conference Hall will be hosting the Tradewinds Shipowners Forum from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Also in the afternoon, at 2.45-4.30 p.m., the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME) is holding its conference titled “Ports Looking to the Future: Challenges and Perspectives.”
Right after that, the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers – Greek Branch will host a seminar at 4.45 p.m. on “Human Resources in the Shipping Industry: Redefining Professional Skills for the Future.”
