19th HELMEPA Training Committee | People Are the Priority⚓️

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 harassment at sea or ashore

• 87% of SIRE 2.0 difficulties are human-related

• 65% of convergence challenges stem from cyber & digital integration

  
  

HELMEPA Director General Olga Stavropoulou announced a new chapter for the Committee: heartfelt thanks to Nikos Polymeris for his chairmanship (2023–2025), a warm welcome to incoming Chairperson Vasileios Dimoulas, and for the first time the Committee is joined by a dedicated Scientific Advisor, Vera Alexandropoulou, strengthening our evidence-based approach.

🏆A commemorative plaque was also presented to Athina Maritime Training & Development Centre, received by Constantinos Batsis and Stelios Volakis, in recognition of their steadfast support in hosting and championing our knowledge-sharing community.

The meeting was coordinated by Costas Triantafyllou, Head of Maritime Affairs, HELMEPA.

Keynote by Dr. Tim Slingsby, Director of Skills & Education, Lloyd's Register Foundation: invest in inclusive blue skills, accelerate the digital transition responsibly, and above all listen to seafarers.

A teaser of the upcoming Soft Skills Masterclass was delivered by Dr. Ioannis Salamouris and Captain Stelios Petronios, a 12-hour program covering 24 essential skills prioritized by seafarers and office staff alike, launching April 2026 in cooperation with KNOWL and Lloyd's Register under the METAVASEA project.

The HELMEPA Academy Refresher Training Program is breaking records in 2026: 5 webinars, 600 participants from 15 nationalities in just the first 2 months. Stay tuned for weekly webinars and new Masterclasses on Soft Skills and Marine Environmental Awareness.

From members, for members.💙