Record Participation Expected at Posidonia 2016

Posidonia 2016 is on course to be the biggest ever despite unfavourable market conditions such as plummeting oil prices and slowing economic growth in key economies and especially China.

According to an announcement by the organisers of the shipping trade event, floor space demand is at unprecedented levels and is expected to break the previous records set during Posidonia 2014 which was attended by more than 1,840 exhibitors and 19,000 visitors.

Posidonia 2016 will be held from June 6 – 10 at the Athens Metropolitan Expo.

According to Theodore Vokos, Executive Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. the event’s organisers, the Greek Shipping community is famous for its excellent sense of timing when it comes to investing in difficult times and currently many shipowners are investing in both newbuildings and the S&P market.

Increased demand is driven by the major shipbuilding nations (China, South Korea and Japan) and other traditional Posidonia participants from all over the world.

Leading the way in terms of floor space demand is China which will once again feature the strongest participation at the maritime industry’s trademark biennial event with its shipyards, equipment manufacturers, shipping services and financial centre providers.

An important new feature of this year’s Posidonia will be the strong participation of old and new maritime centers, as global competition in this sector has also intensified. Traditional maritime centers Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Malta will again participate with national pavilions with a highly diverse display of shipping products and services. But Posidonia will also welcome niche newcomer Luxembourg who is making its Posidonia debut with a national pavilion featuring Cluster Maritime Luxembourgeois. Other maritime services centers at this year’s event include Dubai Maritime City from the UAE, Canada’s Vancouver International Maritime Centre and Shanghai Maritime and Finance Excellence Centre.

According to organizers, the hottest issue in the maritime industry is currently Ballast Water Treatment. With the Ballast Water Management Convention expected to come into force in 2016 and system manufacturers applying for US Coast Guard type approval, more than 15 BWTS manufacturers have already confirmed their participation at the exhibition.

Posidonia will also host the Ballast Water Management Summit, organised by Newsfront/Naftiliaki under the auspices of Greece’s Marine Technical Managers Association (MARTECMA), followed by an Argo Navis workshop on the retrofit engineering studies and installation planning of BWTS.

Organisers of the shipping trade event are also finalizing the most comprehensive conference and seminar programme in the exhibition’s history with over 30 confirmed presentations covering most aspects of the industry’s diverse spectrum

The event is organised under the auspices of the Greek shipping community and the five major associations representing Greek shipping interests: Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, Municipality of Piraeus, Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, Union of Greek Shipowners, Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee, Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association and Association of Passenger Shipping Companies.