The Hellenic Ministry of Shipping and the Aegean plans to prioritize the enhancement of maritime education and sustainability in 2024.
As stated by the minister, Christos Stylianides, Greece aims to introduce legislative initiatives and emphasise the importance of having highly skilled Greek sailors for the shipping industry. Thus the year 2024 will be referred to as the “Year of Maritime Education”. Furthermore, the minister also pledged that Greece will make more moves to promote green shipping.
As a nation with an enormous shipping tradition, it makes sense for Greece to implement measures in order to promote human and environmental sustainability. Focusing on maritime education is especially crucial, as the industry is struggling with retention on the one hand, and on the other hand about 800,000 seafarers are not trained to handle vessels operating on alternative fuels and new technologies.
Quick facts about Greek shipping, according to the Union of Greek Shipowners
- Greece continues to be the world’s largest shipping country, as Greek shipowners control 21% of the global tonnage with a total of 5,520 ships.
- The importance of Greek shipping is even more significant for the EU, as Greek interests control more than 70% of the EU-controlled fleet for the types of vessels of strategic importance. The Greek-owned fleet contributes drastically to ensuring the food security and energy autonomy of the European Union.
- The Greek shipping community invests heavily in new, more advanced ships and technologies which improve efficiency and minimize the industry’s environmental footprint.
Another objective set by the minister involves increasing security in ports, utilizing European funds. The minister also highlighted the ministry’s goals of accelerating digitization and simplifying procedures.
