Shipping Conference “Chios-Shipping-History-Today’s Challenges” – May 4th 2014
PRESS RELEASE
It is with great success that the works of the Shipping Conference “Chios-Shipping-History-Today’s Challenges”, organized by the “Maria Tsakos” Foundation in cooperation with the Prefecture of the North Aegean, the University of the Aegean and the Association of Friends of Oinousses, concluded on Sunday 4th May 2014. This two-day event was hosted in the “Maria Tsakos” Foundation premises in Chios on 3rd May, and on 4th May in Oinousses.
The Shipping Conference took place within the framework of the programme “Sea of Culture”; the relative action was the “Promotion of Maritime Tradition and the Trading Routes in the Northern Aegean”.
The scope of the Conference, was twofold: 1) to examine the historical dimension the maritime profession had in the economic and social evolution of Chios island and 2) to highlight the profession’s prospects in the current labour market and as importantly to give the opportunity to seafarers and students of the University of the Aegean and the Merchant Marine Academies of Chios and Oinousses to be informed and updated on the ongoing developments and current trends in shipping, in general.
The Conference was attended by the local authorities, ship-owners, representatives of shipping associations, seafarers and local community, in addition to over 200 students of the University and the Marine Academies. The interest of the audience was kept undiminished during all sessions as an array of prominent speakers gave lively and
useful presentations.
Conference deliberations were divided into four sessions covering the following themes: National Shipping Policy, Shipping and the European Union, International Maritime Institutional Framework and, Evolutions in International Shipping. Speakers included among others: Mr. George Gratsos, Chairman of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, Mr. Leonidas Dimitriadis-Evgenides, President of the “Evgenides Foundation”, Mr. George Theotokas, Chairman of the Navy Retirement Fund, Associate Professor Eleni Thanopoulou from the University of the Aegean, Assistant Professor Anna Kotrikla from the University of the Aegean, Ltd. Vanessa Antonakou (HCG) representing the Directorate of Maritime Labour at the Ministry of Mercantile Marine and the Aegean, Prof. Stratos Papadimitriou, Chairman of the Shipping Department at the University of Piraeus, Associate Professor Ioannis Theotokas from the University of the Aegean, Mr. George Xyradakis, Managing Director of XRTC, Mr. Vassilis Papageorgiou, naval architect and Vice-Chairman of the Tsakos Group, Vice-Admiral (HCG) Nikolaos Themelaros, Rear Admiral (rtd.)Antonis Papaioannou from the Diaplous Maritime Services, Capt. Alexandros Lagouros, Director at the Directorate of Marine Environment Protection at the Ministry of Mercantile Marine and the Aegean, Capt. Ioannis Kourouniotis, Director at the Directorate for Safety Navigation at the Ministry of Mercantile Marine and the Aegean, Mr. Nikolaos Daniil, Director of the Merchant Marine Academy of Chios, Mr. Ioannis Mennis, Student at the Marine Engineering School of Chios, Mr. Nikolaos Tsolas, Student at the Merchant Marine Academy of Oinousses, and the General Manager of the “Maria Tsakos” Foundation R. Admiral (rtd.) HCG, Mr. Stavros Michailides.
Conference participants and speakers had the opportunity to sightseeing Chios and Oinousses and view a photograph exhibition with archival material collected by the “Maria Tsakos” Foundation pertaining to the history of the Marine Academies of both islands.
The relative action “Promotion of Maritime Tradition and the Trading Routes in the Northern Aegean” is under the co-sponsorship of Greece and the European Union.
