On the afternoon of Monday, 6 June, the first day of Posidonia 2022, the opening ceremony took place, officially marking the beginning of both the exhibition and the seminars that will be held.
Container News was there and attended the speeches of the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the European Union (EU) Transport Commissioner, Adina Valean and the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), Melina Travlos, who addressed key issues in the shipping industry, both nationally and globally, in front of an audience of 800 people.
More specifically, the Greek Prime Minister opened his speech by praising greek shipping for its contribution of 7% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the 200,000 jobs it has created for Greek citizens.
He also revealed details of a letter he sent to the President of the Commission, 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,” he said.
“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. A position fully shared by the European Parliament,” he added.
The EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valean, stated, “I am a believer in the power of the market to choose the best technologies for a specific task. 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.”
“It is a top priority that the European, as well as the international regulatory and legislative framework, contribute to the progress and development of shipping and not to the creation of deadlocks,” said Melina Travlos, President of the UGS, who added, “Universal and feasible solutions are required. Solutions that will not distort international competition and will not endanger the safety of navigation. This is the only way to handle the modern challenges of our industry effectively.”
Theodore Vokos, managing director of Posidonia Exhibitions, highlighted that “Posidonia is back, stronger and bigger than ever before, as the industry’s renewed momentum refuels our commitment to making this a memorable biennial gathering for the global maritime community to network, learn and interact, today and tomorrow”.
Posidonia 2022 will take place from 6 to 10 of June at the Metropolitan Exhibition Center in Athens, Greece. Container News is at the heart of the exhibition to keep you informed about all the latest news of Posidonia 2022.
