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350 students from all levels of education - primary, secondary, and university students - took part in this year’s Blue Horizons: Shipping for the New Generation, organised for the 4th consecutive year by the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) and the Yacht Club of Greece (YCG) on 27 February 2026. It was a unique learning experience dedicated to careers at sea and ocean health. What makes Blue Horizons special is that it gives young people the role

Through Chios Climate Chance - the award-winning, pioneering model of social innovation for climate action - Chios residents aged 4 to 96 were trained as Climate Ambassadors and took part in 150 activities across schools, villages, squares, beaches and festivals - even on local buses. 🚌🌿 🌱 96% said they changed at least one daily habit. 💚 A big thank you to every person in Chios who took part - students, youth, parents, professionals, associations, local stakeholders, se

Maritime experts from 50 companies and organizations convened to set 2026 priorities, shaped by member needs and 111 polls collecting 12,144 responses from maritime professionals and seafarers. One message: must place seafarers’ wellbeing and the soft skills behind safe decisions, teamwork and resilience at the heart of our training. ✨ 📊What the data revealed: 2 in 3 maritime professionals cite stress as the top mental health challenge 47% have experienced bullying or haras

A creative action for healthy seas.   HELMEPA invites students in Gymnasium and Lyceum (Grades A, B, C) to get inspired and create their own piece of art for the protection and health of the seas (painting, photography, collage, slogan) on the theme: “If I were Poseidon for a day?”   Two artworks will be awarded: ✅One Lyceum student’s artwork will ‘dress’ HELMEPA’s new thermos, including the artist’s full name. ✅One Gymnasium student’s artwork will ‘dress’ HELMEPA’s new multi

For the 4th consecutive year, Blue Horizons connects the new generation with the maritime industry - helping students discover careers at sea. 🎤 High-Level Mentoring Panel | 27 February 2026 | 17:30–18:30 High School Students and University Students meet leading maritime professionals - for realtalk on studies, career paths, skills and opportunities that cannot be found in a textbook.   Mentors on the panel: ✦ Spiros Nicolas Apostolopoulos | Director – Marine Broker, Euro

In just two years, 8,694 residents of Chios - from children aged 4 to seniors aged 96 - were trained through CCC tools and became Climate Ambassadors . Students, youth, parents, professionals, associations, local stakeholders, senior citizen centers (KAPI) and villages participated equally and inclusively , proving that climate action involves the whole community. Chios’ message travelled far beyond the island: 99,307 people were informed in total, carrying local action t

New chapter for global marine environmental protection: Africa’s first MEPA and the 8th national MEPA worldwide, The Nigerian Marine Environment Protection Association ( NIMEPA ) has been launched. Founded in Greece in 1982, HELMEPA was the first MEPA. Today, the MEPA Movement continues to grow, strengthening international cooperation for healthy and sustainable seas. Through INTERMEPA , the umbrella network hosted at HELMEPA HQ in Athens , NIMEPA joins a global network prom

HELMEPA MARITIME TRAINING CENTER for Pollution Prevention, Safety at Sea and Environmental Awareness 2026 REFRESHER TRAINING PROGRAM | From our members for our members WEBINAR 19 February 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00 EET AGENDA 10.00 - 10.30 Climate Change Impacts on Shipping 10.30 - 11.00 Weather Routing Optimization

HELMEPA at MARLOG15 in Alexandria - Egypt 🇪🇬, where the International Maritime Transport & Logistics Conference is organized on Smart & Resilient Logistics Corridors – Future Gateway to the Green Trade. Eleni Tsolka , Head of Grants & Program Development HELMEPA presented as keynote speaker our flagship regional initiative METAVASEA placing people at the heart of the green maritime transition in East Mediterranean, supported by Lloyd's Register Foundation. Warm thanks

The award was received by HELMEPA’s General Director, Mrs. Olga Stavropoulou , from the Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Mr. Stefanos Gkikas. HELMEPA’s cooperation with the Hellenic Coast Guard is longstanding, particularly in the fields of coastal clean-up activities and education. Coast Guard officers participate as speakers in HELMEPA’s educational programs, sharing knowledge and experience from the front line. “𝘈 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺

HELMEPA is pleased to support the 16th Annual Capital Link Greek Shipping Forum, which will take place on Thursday, 5 February 2026, at the Athenaeum InterContinental Athens, Greece. Please click the links below to access the Conference overview and the full agenda . For any questions regarding the Conference, kindly refer to the contact details provided on Capital Link’s Forum page .

Delegation of senior officials from China, representing the  Hunan Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, regional development authorities, municipal environmental services, and the environmental technology sector, visited HELMEPA office and met with our team. Discussion focused on marine environmental protection and the role of training and safety culture in supporting sustainable shipping practices. The visit also included a handson tour of the HELMEPA Ship Bridg

HELMEPA was distinguished at the Bravo Sustainability Dialogue & Awards 2025, organized by QualityNet Foundation ACTIVE CITIZENS NETWORK (ENVIRONMENT pillar, Biodiversity category). Our work is participatory and collective. It reflects upon our 378 member-companies and to our 1,000,000+ volunteers , young and old, who have transformed the vision of clean seas into action by implementing—among other initiatives—more than 5,400 coastal and underwater cleanups . It reflects upo

With celebratory participation and a quorum that exceeded the historic threshold of 2,392 authorized votes, HELMEPA’s 47th General Assembly successfully took place on Thursday 13 November 2025, hosted at the Onassis Foundation. Chairperson Ms Semiramis Paliou stated: "HELMEPA’s work is the work of all of us: members, volunteers—young and old—partners, and of course the HELMEPA team, our Board of Directors, and Secretariat. Every year, we break the previous year’s record with

PRESS RELEASE Within the framework of the European project EXCEED , which aims to strengthen the Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) and to connect education and the labor market through innovative skills development programs, the Port of Elefsina welcomed fifty European experts. The visit took place on October 17, 2025 and was co-organized by the Elefsis Port Authority   S.A.  and the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA),  marking a fruitful part

The region’s shipping community is increasingly aware of the need to cut emissions and is taking steps towards decarbonization. While progress is uneven, responses from shipping companies, ports, suppliers, and civil society point to both growing awareness and readiness to act, particularly in relation to skills, safety, infrastructure, and alternative fuels.   These are the findings of Wave 1 of the large-scale METAVASEA survey , conducted between June and November 2024 prio

As national partner of the “Nauticinblu Europe” project, HELMEPA engaged 173 students from Nautical High Schools across Greece in expert-led seminars and interactive workshops. The participants explored ocean literacy, climate change, and the blue economy, gaining the tools to connect future maritime careers with environmental responsibility.   “Nauticinblu Europe” is a cross-border initiative involving Nautical Institutes from Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain, ideated and

Every seafarer deserves a safe, respectful, and inclusive working environment.   Today we join the IMO and the global maritime community, and we honor the dedication of seafarers by supporting this year’s Day of the Seafarer theme: “My Harassment-Free Ship.”     With 15,000 member seafarers and maritime professionals, #HELMEPA empowers crews through continuous training and a strong safety culture via the HELMEPA Academy.   We train and reskill more than 3,500 seafarers annua

In a key milestone for maritime decarbonization, the Port of Thessaloniki (ThPA S.A.) has become the first port in the EU and the Mediterranean to integrate RightShip’s Maritime Emissions Portal (MEP) under the HELMEPA-led METAVASEA project, with the support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation.     Through this one-year pilot, Thessaloniki sets a new regional benchmark for sustainability, providing critical insights into value chain (Scope 3) emissions and enabling targeted, data-

Participants of all ages gained an understanding of the phenomenon of climate change and were trained through a specially designed digital tool—the Toolkit—to serve as Climate Ambassadors, conveying a powerful message: “We have the power, the tools, and the awareness. What remains is the decision.”     The Student Community of Kardamyla – “Maria’s House” , the Maritime Vocational High School (EPAL) TEENS, the Gymnasium of Kallimasia, the Chios Open Care Centre for the Elderly