The organisers of Posidonia, the world’s most prestigious maritime exhibition, have confirmed a 15 percent growth in size for this year’s event, as the committed total of over 40.000 square metres of exhibition floor space together with a record 40 conferences and new sporting events make the 2016 edition the biggest in the event’s almost 50 year-long history.
Over 1.800 exhibitors from 89 countries will participate at Posidonia 2016 which opens its doors on June 6 for a week that will see intense networking and business dealing between the world’s most prominent shipping industry executives who will converge at the Athens Metropolitan Expo for the biennial maritime show.
In total, some 20.000 visitors are expected to walk the ambient halls and corridors of the state-of-the-art venue which every two years becomes the global hub of attention for an industry which carries around 90% of world trade. The gravitas of Posidonia and its reputation as the most important shipping event is mainly owed to its status as the home of Greek Shipping, who control some 20 percent of the world’s dwt tonnage.
“The growth of Posidonia is the result of the resilience of the Greek shipping industry which has managed to cope with the current challenging conditions and maintains its leadership position thanks to its entrepreneurial spirit and by continuously upgrading and reinventing its product,” said Theodore Vokos, Executive Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A., during a press conference to mark the launch of the 25th edition of Posidonia.
Currently, the Greek-owned fleet’s average age is 11,2 years and comprises 4.585 ships, representing 19,63% of the global fleet in dwt.
“In spite of fierce international competition, Greece’s ocean-going shipping sector maintains the highest ranking in the world and we continue to expand as our current newbuilding order book contains 350 ships under construction,” said George D. Pateras, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, during the official Posidonia Press Conference.
Theodore E. Veniamis, President, Union of Greek Shipowners, said
“Posidonia is here to project in the best possible way the significance of the shipping industry and the indispensable service it offers to international trade and the world economy. This impressive exhibition is equally a clear manifestation of Greek shipping’s invaluable contribution to the national and the EU economy. At a crucial period for the Greek economy and under adverse conditions stemming from both global market pressures and misguided recent EU policy approaches, Greek shipping maintains the first position internationally with 20% of the world deadweight capacity and 50% of the EU fleet, and proudly hosts the most prestigious shipping trade event internationally.”
Posidonia 2016 will be held from June 6 – 10 at the Athens Metropolitan Expo. 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.
Source: Posidonia Events
