Hundreds of Greek shipping’s movers and shakers attended the glittering Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards ceremony.
The 21st Greek Shipping Awards ceremony took place on Friday evening, December 6th, in a central Athens hotel, with Nigel Lowry and Adriana Paraskevopoulou presiding over the proceedings.
In his introductory address, Hellenic Minister for Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Christos Stylianides noted that “Greek shipping has deep roots in Greek society and culture, which is why Greeks figure so prominently in the global shipping industry.”
“Our shipowners, our Greek mariners and skilled shore staff, are the pillars of this sector and, together, they’re taking Greek shipping all the way to the top,” he added.
Christos Stylianides, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy
In closing, the Minister, having congratulated both the organizers of the event, which he said “honors the beating heart of Greek shipping and the Greek economy,” and the award winners, committed as Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and the Ministry he heads to remain “partners at the side of the Greek shipping industry in its ongoing efforts to keep Greek shipping in first place world-wide”.
The awards in detail
In all, twenty awards were presented. By category, these were:
Costas Delaportas, DryDel (left) with Matthew More, Marichem Marigases
Dry Cargo Company of the Year: Τhe award was presented to DryDel Shipping for its investments in newbuildings, all of Japanese manufacture. Accepting the award, Costas Delaportas stressed inter alia that “the award is the result of the hard work of the entire outstanding DryDel team.”
Evangelos Marinakis
Tanker Company of the Year: The award was presented to Capital Group for its investments in the green transition.
Accepting the award from Ms. Paillette Palaiologou of Bureau Veritas, Evangelos Marinakis, the President and founder of Capital Maritime & Trading, expressed his pleasure at attending such an exceptional event. “We are happy to be here in Greece and to be involved in the shipping business. Greece provides us with a safe haven to conduct our business, and on the other hand, we are involved with a global business that has nothing to do with the government with all the complications our country sometimes faces. We are free to compete in the real world with huge international shipping companies, and try to be competitive and create value for our partners, for our companies, for our people,” Evangelos Marinakis said.
He went on to stress that “to be successful in our business, you need to have the right people, so it has to do with togetherness, it has to do with the ability and the skills of our crew members, of our staff ashore, of the organizations we do business with, our partners—like classification societies, our bankers, our brokers, our charterers, the oil majors.”
The company has done a lot “as far as the tanker industry is concerned, and we have shown real commitment, to the environment as far as new ships are concerned, dual fuel, LNG vessels, LPG, Ammonia, CO2 carriers,” he said, pointing out that “oil majors and, of course, major charterers need to commit to the environment and to zero emissions, but not only with very nice announcements and very nice speeches. We need to invest and, on the other hand, the charterers, the oil majors should contribute a bit more, so we can afford such investments”
Filippos Venetopoulos, Variety Cruises (right) with SWS’s representative
Passenger Line of the Year: The award was presented to the Greek cruise liner company Variety Cruises. The award was accepted by Mr. Filippos Venetopoulos, who spoke about the company and its work, underlining that “the company has been present in the cruise liner industry for 75 years.”
George Saroglou, Tsakos Group, Vassilis Diamantidis, Diamond Shipbroking (right)
Shipbroker of the Year: Τhe award was presented to Diamond Shipbroking. As Vassilis Diamantidis said on accepting the award: “The company was founded in 2005 and is a pioneer in the chartering of large dry bulk vessels such as panamaxes.”
Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, Tototheo, Harris Antoniou Neptune Maritime Leasing
Shipping Financier of the Year: The award, was presented to Neptune Maritime Leasing. Accepting the award, the company’s CEO Mr. Harris Antoniou said that “the support the company enjoys from its shareholders, Costamare and the Latsco Family Office, has been crucial.” To date, the company has financed 40 vessels and signed leasing agreements worth $550 million. At the same time, it was noted that it emphasizes the financing of small and medium-sized shipping companies and has recently expanded into Asia.
Leonidas Karystios, DNV, Panos Kourkountis, Martecma (right)
Technical Achievement Award: It was presented to Martecma, the marine technical managers association. Accepting the award, Martecma’s President Panos Kourkountis noted that “we never forget how the company started 25 years ago” and added that “this award not only acknowledges what we do in this association, it also encourages all our members who share their knowledge and experience.”
Pantelis Sapsis, Zygos Maritime Services (left), Antonis Malaxianakis, Hardor Lab (right)
Lloyd’s Intelligence Big Data Award: It was presented to Harbor Lab. Antonis Malahianakis, receiving the award, stressed that the company, which is active in the field of maritime technology, provides its services to over 1500 ships.
Konstantinos Markou (ClassNK), Danae Bezantakou (YES Forum)
Piraeus International Center Award: It was presented to YES Forum, an initiative founded by Danae Bezantakou to attract young people into the maritime professions.
Captain Symeon Tsagkadas
The Safety Award: Was presented to EUNAVFOR Operation Aspides, which protects ships transiting the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels. The award was accepted by Captain Symeon Tsagkadas.
Jerry Kalogiratos, Capital Clean Energy Carriers, Elpi Petraki
International Personality of the Year: The award was presented to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, who in a video message said, among other things, that he was “totally committed to the work of the organization. This award is not only a personal honor and an achievement for me personally, it is also an acknowledgment of the collective efforts of the member states and every stakeholder, including all of you who are here tonight.”
The IMO Secretary-General added that “we will work together as one family to achieve all our goals, despite any differences we may have from time to time,” and called on those present to keep striving “to address the challenges we face today. Thank you once again.”
The award was presented by the CEO of Capital Clean Energy Carriers, Mr. Jerry Kalogiratos, to Ms. Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, representing Mr. Dominguez.
Marina Hadjimanolis, Deputy Minister of Shipping of Cyprus, Captain Panagiotis Tsakos
Achievement in Education οr Training: The award was presented to the Tsakos Merchant Marine Academy. Captain Panagiotis Tsakos accepted the award from the Deputy Minister of Shipping of Cyprus, Marina Hadjimanolis. Captain Panagiotis Tsakos began his acceptance speech by saying “Our language and our seamanship are the core of our national identity.” He went on to note that: “It is the responsibility of all of us to pass on our knowledge and our love of the sea to the next generation,” referring to the work of the educational institutions the Group has established on Chios. “To attract young people to embrace our profession, our duty,” Mr Tsakos added.
The award-winning captains
Seafarer of the Year: The award was presented to Captains Stamatis Kalfamanolis and Michalis Lignos for their actions aboard the Blue Star Paros in rescuing six people shipwrecked in the Aegean.
Konstantinos Sifnaios, Gastrade (left), Vassilios Kroustallis, ABS (right)
Ship of the Year: The award was presented to Gastrade’s FSRU Alexandroupolis. The award was accepted by Konstantinos Sifnaios, Vice President and CEO of Gastrade. The FSRU has a capacity of 153,500 cubic meters of LNG and is connected to the National Natural Gas Transmission System by a 28 km long pipeline through which the gasified LNG will be delivered to the markets of Greece, Bulgaria and the wider region, from Romania, Serbia and North Macedonia to Moldova and Ukraine. In terms of the technical characteristics of the project, with three gasification units, the regasification capacity of the new plant is estimated at 5.5 billion cubic meters per year, with a storage capacity of 153,000 m3.
Philippa Charlton (left), Maria Angelicoussis (right)
The Sustainability Award: Was awarded to the Angelicoussis Group. Accepting the award from Philippa Charlton, the Chief Marketing Officer of Lloyd’s Register, Maria Angelicoussis stressed that “sustainability isn’t just a priority; it is a necessity for the future of our industry. Shipping remains the most environmentally friendly and economical mode of transport: serving 90% of global trade, it only contributes 3% of global emissions. We are a vital part of the globalization chain, and while our commitment to sustainability is undiminished, we want to ensure that we continue to deliver shipments safely and reliably for our customers. Shipping excellence has been a cornerstone of our relations for 75 years,” Ms. Angelicoussis stressed, referring to the Group. “With 146 ships in the water, our commitment to safe, reliable and long-term shipping services remains unwavering,” she added, underlining that “we remain strong advocates of LNG as the safest, most readily available and lowest carbon alternative fuel for tankers and dry bulk carriers.” She also advocated “global solutions for the green transition” rather than “fragmented regional regulations.” She made special reference to the presence of women on board the company’s ships, highlighting that the Group employs three times more women than the industry average. “With over 8,500 employees, we are dedicated to shaping the next generation of seafarers.”
Amalia Provelengiou
Person of the Sea: The award was presented to Amalia Provelengiou, the sailor who has also distinguished herself in the social arena by denouncing her coach for systematic abuse and taking her place in the front line of the fight against the abuse of women. The coach’s trial was the first to stem from the Greek #MeToo movement, and is the focus of the documentary TACK.
Yiannis Timagenis (center), Timagenis Law Firm, Simos Spyrou (left), Christos Begleris (right) Star Bulk
Deal of the Year: Awarded to Star Bulk. Accepting the award from Yiannis Timagenis of the Timagenis Law Firm, Simos Spyrou and Christos Begleris noted that they “accepted this award with great humility.” Referring to the acquisition of Eagle Bulk, they noted that it took “several months of work to close the deal. Its completion was followed by still more work on the part of our organization to integrate our people and culture across our three main overseas territories—in the US, in Singapore, and in our headquarters in Athens. Star Bulk has completed seven separate deals involving more than 100 vessels over the last five years. The acquisition of Eagle Bulk Shipping was the largest and most challenging, as it involved a merger with a public company. We want to thank all our partners for their contributions.”
Sifis I. Vardinoyannis, SEKAVIN (left), Theofilos Xenakoudis, Marshall Islands Registry (right)
Next Generation Shipping Award: The award was presented to Sifis I. Vardinoyannis, CEO of SEKAVIN, by Theofilos Xenakoudis of the Marshall Islands Registry.
Costis Frangoulis, Franman (left), Themistocles Vokos
Lloyd’s List / Propeller Club Lifetime Achievement Award: The award, was presented to Themistocles Vokos, founder of the “Posidonia” International Shipping Exhibition.
Miltos Bantis, LPC (left), John Dragnis (right)
Greek Shipping Newsmaker of The Year: The award was presented to Mr. John Dragnis of Goldenport for the important initiatives he undertook over the last year in expanding the company’s involvement in capesize dry bulk vessels, developing yachting in Greece, and establishing a foundation based in Volos. The award was sponsored by LPC.
Christina Margelou, Eurobank (left), Elpi Petraki (right)
Greek Shipping Personality of the Year: The award was presented to Mrs. Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International.
