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HELMEPA's impactful presence at Posidonia 2024 was a resounding success, resonating both on shore and at sea. Centered around the theme "Shipping Resilience to Climate Change," the conference convened over 500 maritime leaders on World Environment Day to address pressing environmental challenges and advocate for sustainable practices. This landmark event underscored the urgent need for the shipping industry to address climate change, emphasizing its commitment to environmenta

A total of 130 students from Maritime High Schools participated in a series of seminars and workshops focusing on the ocean, climate change and the blue economy, with the aim of fostering ocean and climate awareness. The activities were implemented within the framework of the “Nauticinblu” programme, strengthening students’ understanding of the complex relationship between economic development, impacts on biodiversity and the necessary transition to sustainable practices. T

130 Greek Nautical High School students participated in a series of seminars and workshops on ocean and climate awareness and the blue economy as part of the “Nauticinblu” Project, enhancing their understanding of the complex relationship between economic growth, biodiversity impacts, and the needed transition to more sustainable operations. Nauticinblu involves Nautical Institutes in Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain and is run by the Italian non-profit environmental organi

Enhanced safety culture for maritime decarbonization requires the cultivation and development of soft skills, as well as the continuous training and retraining of employees in new technologies, according to the conclusions of the workshop organized by the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) in collaboration with Piraeus Port Authority (PPA S.A.) with extensive participation of employees and executives of PPA S.A. and other Greek ports, as well as repr

The largest ever HELMEPA Members Delegation traveled to the US and engaged in a series of productive meetings with the leadership of the United States Coast Guard, NAMEPA, and other stakeholders in Washington DC to advance pollution prevention, safety at sea, and sustainable development in the era of maritime decarbonization.     Led by HELMEPA Chairperson Semiramis Paliou, and joined by Board Members Maria Hajioannou, Panos Zachariadis, and Theodosis Stamatelos, the HELMEPA

Starting from Chios, the State, local authorities, the academic community and civil society—led by young people—collectively expressed their commitment to the new, pioneering Chios Climate Chance  programme ( https://helmepa.gr/ccc ). The programme is implemented by the Maria Tsakos Public Benefit Foundation and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation , in cooperation with the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) , aiming to enhance understanding

Landmark visit of IMO General Secretary Arsenio Dominguez and WMU President Prof. Max Mejia to HELMEPA highlights the long-standing partnership and shared efforts for safe ships, with skilled and competent crews sailing in healthy oceans. For the first time on 8 February 2024, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez visited the Association’s premises, marking another milestone in HELMEPA’s 42-year history dedicated to healthy seas, safety at sea, and sustainable development. The Chairperson,

120 Greek and Italian Nautical High School students participated in a series of seminars on ocean and climate awareness as part of the ‘Ride the Wave’ program. The educational material was developed by scientists, educators, and representatives from organizations in the blue economy sector and is now available to Nautical Schools. Specifically designed for Nautical Vocational Schools, the program focused on disseminating scientific knowledge and promoted a deeper understand

We're excited to announce that HELMEPA will relocate to a new office. Our new address is: 7 Ymittou Street Palaio Faliro 17564 Greece   Please update your records with our new address.   The move will be completed by October 20, 2023.   During this transition, there may be some disruptions to our communications. We apologize for any inconvenience.   You can still reach us at +30 210 9343088 or helmepa@helmepa.gr for assistance.   We look forward to welcoming you to our new p

Crew safety and wellbeing, enhanced technical knowhow on pollution prevention, strict implementation of safety procedures to avoid repeating accidents on board, cybersecurity and soft skills’ development constitute the main thematic categories of HELMEPA’s new Training Program based on the priorities identified from focused research among 52 shipping companies managing a total fleet of 1.100 vessels and 11 classification societies, P&I Clubs and maritime stakeholders. The com

Continuing the long-standing cooperation between the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association - HELMEPA and the US Coast Guard, the annual meeting of the USCG leadership and members of the Association took place online (due to Covid-19 restrictions), on Wednesday 14 December 2022, maintaining an open dialogue and highlighting areas of mutual interest and concern. Specifically, Rear Admiral Wayne Arguin, USCG Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, addressed 65 r

The need for further education and training of seafarers for the green and digital transition, as well as the commitment of the Greek maritime community to cooperate in addressing common challenges through sharing of technical know-how, experience and best practices, were highlighted by the qualitative data of HELMEPA's 2022 Refresher Training Program. The program was implemented by the Maritime Training Center (186 hours of training) with the active participation of 160 ship

While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are gradually making their way into the policy environment, the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are increasingly becoming evident in the Mediterranean basin. In November 2022, experts from Greece and Italy, as well as other EU countries and Canada, joined a webinar series to share inspiring environmental education initiatives from the Mediterranean region, North America and the Arctic as part of the “ Ride the Wa

US sailors, marines and Embassy officials participated in a coastal cleanup activity in Elefsina on Friday 25 November 2022 coordinated by the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association – HELMEPA, the U.S. Embassy in Greece and the Elefsis Port Authority combining volunteerism with cultural and environmental awareness. Marking the closing event of HELMEPA’s International Coastal Cleanup campaign in Greece, 80 sailors and marines from the USNS TRENTON (T-EPF 5) anchor

Extensive was the participation of members of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association - HELMEPA in the 40th annual General Assembly (Tuesday, 29 November 2022), during which the actions and the financial operation of the Association for the year 2021 were presented and unanimously approved. Following, the election procedure for the new Board of Directors took place and the day after (Wednesday, 30 th November), the Board of Directors was composed, as follows:

Promoting Ocean and Climate Literacy in Nautical High Schools and local communities – part 3 Webinar which will be conducted in English through the Zoom platform on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 14.30 -16.30 Central European Time (register here ).     This is the last of a 3-webinar series that are provided for free to interested stakeholders and citizens within the context of the new " Ride the Wave: Ocean and Climate Literacy for Nautical High Schools " project, funded by

Webinar which will be conducted in English through the Zoom platform on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 14.30 -16.30 Central European Time (register here ). This is the second of a 3-webinar series that are provided for free to interested stakeholders and citizens within the context of the new " Ride the Wave : Ocean and Climate Literacy for Nautical High Schools " project, funded by the European Erasmus+ Programme 2021-2027 - KA210-SCH - Small Scale Partnership in school educ

HELMEPA celebrated its 40 th anniversary during a marvelous event together with individuals whose lives and memories run in parallel to the evolution of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association. On the evening of Thursday, October 13 th , at Zappeion Megaron, leading personalities in the fields of Shipping, the Environment, Politics and Art, shared their common vision for a sustainable future. Based on the long-standing moto "Sea is Life", HELMEPA Director Gene

Webinar which will be conducted in English through the Zoom platform on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 14.30 -16.30 Central European Time. This is the first of a 3-webinar series that are provided for free to interested stakeholders and citizens within the context of the new " Ride the Wave : Ocean and Climate Literacy for Nautical High Schools " project, funded by the European Erasmus+ Programme 2021-2027 - KA210-SCH - Small Scale Partnership in school education.

Differing uptake levels of the green/digital transition, understanding of sustainability criteria and the nurturing of a spirit of cooperation are some findings highlighted by the implementation to date of HELMEPA’s annual Voluntary Refresher Training Program for 2022. Although it is expected that companies focusing on sustainable development will develop into leaders of the maritime sector ( see HELMEPA’s Posidonia 2022 Conference on Sustainable Shipping) , interaction with