Greece’s Posidonia 2024 Shipping Expo Opens for Business

Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. Managing Director Theodore Vokos, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Union of Greek Shipowners President Melina Travlos and Greek Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Minister Christos Stylianidis.

The international shipping exhibition Posidonia 2024 was officially inaugurated on Monday during a ceremony held at the main conference hall of the Athens Metropolitan Expo Center.

The ceremony was attended by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek and international ministers, European officials and presidents of all major international shipping organisations.

Posidonia 2024 is the biggest in the biennial event’s six decades of existence with over 2,000 exhibitors from 82 countries and 23 national pavilions ready to showcase their offering on Posidonia’s exhibition floor.

According to the event’s organizer Posidonia Exhibitions SA, more than 40,000 participants are expected to attend the shipping exhibition during the week ahead.

Addressing the ceremony’s audience, the Greek PM highlighted that changes will determine the future or maritime transport.

“I will stand by your side in every battle that the Greek shipping industry will fight in order to enhance this value chain, which is centered on our country: from the green transition to safe ports and from the rejuvenation of Greek shipyards to the infusion of our workforce with the skills that developments impel,” Mitsotakis said to more than 800 senior leaders from the global maritime community.

“At a time when Europe is seeking to define the concept of strategic autonomy, the time has come for it to understand that shipping, European shipping, Greek shipping – which constitutes the most significant force within European shipping – will play a crucial role in this strategic autonomy,” he added.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

On her part, Union of Greek Shipowners President Melina Travlos underlined that shipping is the backbone of humanity.

“Posidonia fosters the dialogue and the exchange of views, it generates business opportunities, and presents innovations and proposals that respond to the current situation and the demands of the global shipping community,” she said.

On behalf of the organiser, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. Managing Director Theodore Vokos said: “We often refer to the achievements of our industry as ‘the miracle of Greek shipping’. It is tempting to do so when one tries to understand how a small nation of 12 million people can be home to the largest and most modern fleet in the world – over six thousand ocean going vessels, tankers, container ships, bulk carriers, and others, trading around the globe and keeping the world economy ticking.

“This ‘miracle’ originates in our country’s seafaring traditions, going back thousands of years, utilising the flexibility of the Greek family business and allowing innovation to grow while looking at a world without borders,” Vokos said.

The Greek PM an the stand of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy at Posidonia 2024.

A total of 68 maritime conferences, forums and seminars are scheduled to take place during Posidonia 2024.

“We are proud that through our exhibition, the sporting and social events and the many conferences and seminars, we are showcasing the achievements of shipping and the benefits it brings to Greece and to the wider world,” Vokos added.

The Posidonia 2024 exhibition is expected to generate some 80 million euros revenue for the Greek economy mainly for the hospitality, MICE, transportation and F&B sectors.

Posidonia 2024 is organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping and the Union of Greek Shipowners and with the support of the Municipality of Piraeus and the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee.