Greek Shipping Summit 2007

Present Realities, Future Prospects. Join a top level line up of Greek shipowners, operators, bankers, lawyers and classification society officials at the 2nd Greek Shipping Summit in Athens.

A lively atmosphere surrounds this single day summit, summit jointly organised by TradeWinds and Seatrade.

At the inaugural event in November 2006, BHP Billiton Freight vice-president Gideon Oberholzer good naturedly fielded a barrage of questions after telling Greek owners they need to be more transparent and ensure their ships are correctly vetted.

Watson, Farley & Williams partner Stephen Tupper also stirred things up when he predicted that European Union (EU) competition rules will hit bulk-shipping pools, while Rear Admiral William D Baumgartner, judge advocate general of the US Coast Guard (USCG), went to great lengths to persuade the industry delegates that honesty is the best policy and that the USCG can really become best friends with shipowners.

Thenamaris director and chairman of Intertanko's Hellenic Forum, Emmanuel Vordonis, took delegates by surprise as he stepped down from the podium and paced around the room like a restless lion, expounding on the goal of excellence.

During the parliamentary style debate, that has become the hallmark of this summit, Tsakos commented lightheartedly that "Greece has a lot of oil but " unfortunately, olive oil". Speaking at the summit having just arrived back from a gruelling round-the-world trip, he admitted that despite his position as the head of a public company, he does not think it would benefit the Greek industry for all its small companies, which have been its backbone for so many years, to be eaten up by larger entities.

Click here for the conference programme

Early bird Euro 695 before 8th September.
Full rate Euro 750 after 8th September.

The Greek Shipping Summit is co-organised by Seatrade and TradeWinds.