WISTA Hellas Newsletter No.1 June 2010 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 1. WISTA extends a warm welcome to Posidonia 2. Hellenic Hull Mutual Association becomes WISTA Diamond Sponsor 3. Increasing Sponsorship Support for the 30 th Annual WISTA International Conference 4. European Maritime Day seeks to be harbinger of sector growth 5. Meet the Board Members of WISTA Hellas 6. WISTA-Med a success in Madrid 7. Members and Friends of WISTA Hellas elected to prominent positions 8. Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee to be led by Haralambos Fafalios 9. WISTA Turkey supports tall ship race to Greece 10. Bulk carriers: still work to be done on safety record Greetings from Anna-Maria Monogioudi, President of WISTA Hellas We welcome everyone in the maritime industry to the first edition of our WISTA Hellas Newsletter which will be sent out every two weeks, to keep you up-to-date with the preparations for the 30 th Annual WISTA International Conference, an event which we are proud to host here in Greece from September 29 to October 1, 2010. We are living in challenging times, but one thing is sure, and that is that the shipping industry is more valuable than ever in supporting global trade and technological innovation. We have invited a first class spectrum of personalities to attend and speak at our Conference and encourage discussion and dissemination of the latest information on the topics of the moment. There will also be prime opportunities for networking and meeting old friends. Sponsors are generously coming forward to help make this a memorable Conference and a worthy successor to the excellent events in London, New Orleans and Copenhagen of the last three years.
We encourage more organizations to join them as a way of displaying their commitment to excellence and as a means of keeping their names in front of the maritime community they serve. The theme of the Conference, which we are anticipating will be attended by representatives from all 28 WISTA member-countries, is Achieving Sustainability Paving the Way to Shipping Excellence. This will offer a wonderful opportunity for the exchange of opinions on how intangible productive factors quality in service provision, environmental consciousness and corporate social responsibility can contribute to business sustainability and excellence. Since the International Maritime Organization has declared 2010 as the Year of the Seafarer, special reference will be made to the role of the Seafarer in today s shipping industry, the various problems surrounding this unique profession, and how to attract more young people and reduce crew scarcity. WISTA Hellas is delighted to advise that these issues will be tackled by the distinguished Keynote Speaker, Secretary-General of the IMO, Admiral Efthimios Mitropoulos. This will be the third time that WISTA Hellas hosts the International WISTA Conference, the previous occasions being in 1990 and 1996. Keep up with all the news by following our Newsletters, and visit the website to register with the EARLY BIRD discount rate, available until July 5, 2010 : www.wistaconference.org 1. WISTA Hellas extends a warm welcome to Posidonia The Posidonia Exhibition is the highlight of June every second year, and it will again be a magnet for the cream of the world s shipping business. Visitors will be arriving for social events and business meetings ahead of the formal start of Posidonia 2010, which will run from June 7-11 at the Hellenikon Exhibition Centre, on the site of the former East Athens Airport. Greek ship-owners and managers continue to oversee a fleet which is the largest under the control of any single group of nationals. Thus, the gathering attracts an impressive array of shipbuilders, suppliers of ships equipment and shipping-related services. The relevant website is www.posidonia-events.com On the occasion of Posidonia 2010, Anna-Maria Monogioudi, as President of WISTA Hellas, and the Board of Directors of WISTA Hellas are hosting a Cocktail Reception on Tuesday June 8, from 20.00hrs to 22.00hrs, at the Athens Golf Club, Glyfada.
All WISTA Hellas members are invited to attend, in addition to members of WISTA from other countries, visiting in Athens for Posidonia. All WISTA members have been receiving their invitation to the Cocktail Reception by email. (see image on the right) To attend, please send an email to: athens2010@wistaconferences.org RSVP by Friday, June 4, 2010 please. As the invitation is for 2 persons, please advise if you will be bringing a guest, or attending alone. WISTA Hellas will be making good use of the presence of the international and Greek press at Posidonia, and will be holding a press conference to coincide with the Cocktail Reception, to ensure there is full awareness of the valuable role that WISTA is playing in the maritime world, and that there is the widest possible recognition of the 30 th Annual WISTA International Conference to be held in Athens from September 29 to October 1, 2010. 2. Hellenic Hull Mutual Association becomes WISTA Diamond Sponsor We are delighted to report that the Hellenic Hull Mutual Association has confirmed substantial support for the WISTA 2010 Conference, by taking up the role of Diamond Sponsor. Hellenic Hull Mutual Association is a non profit marine insurer, registered in Limassol, Cyrpus for vessels managed or owned by Greek and Cypriot companies, and/or flying Greek or Cypriot flag. It covers hull and machinery risks, increased value and disbursements, and freight risks, governed by English law. Founded in January 1994, the association s management company has been noted for its enlightened policies, including from the beginning the hiring of outstandingly talented women for key positions. This year, Hellenic Hull Mutual Association is celebrating its 15 th Anniversary. We congratulate the Association and thank them for extending such generous support to WISTA.
3. Increasing Sponsorship Support for the 30 th Annual Conference We are delighted to announce that The Marshall Islands Registry has become a GOLD Sponsor and GAC Shipping, OSG Ship Management, Paragon Shipping, ABS and J.G. Roussos have become BRONZE Sponsors. We shall be sending you more updates in our next Newsletter. In the meantime, we thank all our Sponsors for their fantastic support. 4. European Maritime Day seeks to be harbinger of sector growth Two women with a keen interest in the Greek and international shipping sector were among those who took part in official events on May 20 in Gijón, Spain, to celebrate European Maritime Day, in collaboration with the Spanish presidency of the European Union. Mrs Rodi Kratsa represented the European Parliament as a Vice-President, and as the MEP on whose initiative European Maritime Day was in 2008 added to the calendar. An honorary WISTA member, Mrs Kratsa was elected WISTA Personality for 2008 at the annual conference that year in New Orleans. Mrs Kratsa said: Through this initiative we can highlight the strategic position of our country within this sector and stress the importance of the particularities of her coastal and insular regions for the development of high standards of tourism, compatible with the efforts for de-pollution of the Mediterranean sea and for the exploitation of the prospects for growth within the framework of the `Union for Mediterranean. The opening ceremony was attended by among others the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mrs Maria Damanaki, who was once the youngest Greek MP and first woman to be elected Vice-President of the Greek Parliament. Some 1,250 participants attended an associated conference on innovation for sustainable growth of maritime sector and coastal regions in Gijón.
Mrs Damanaki said that the EU Commission s Integrated Maritime Policy, innovation and blue growth meant the fostering of new technology solutions and promoting areas such as design for green ships and sustainable coastal tourism. To contribute to the EU 2020 strategy aimed at tackling the economic downturn, the Commission was about to launch a study on the "scenarios and drivers for sustainable growth from oceans, sea and coasts to help identify future sources of sustainable growth and employment based on marine resources. 5. Meet the Board Members of WISTA Hellas WISTA Hellas was established in 1993 and currently numbers some 200 members, all women in management level positions in the shipping sector. It is a member of WISTA International, the holding association, which was founded in London in 1974, and which currently consists of 28 membercountries and more than 1,200 individual members. The 15th Annual General Assembly of WISTA Hellas took place on March 29, 2010 at the Metropolitan Hotel, Athens and appointed the new Board of Directors and the new Auditing Committee for the twoyear period to 2012. The Board of Directors of WISTA Hellas comprises: President : Anna-Maria Monogioudi, who is a director of Aegean Protective Coatings; Vice-President: Jenny Pournara-Vardavilia, arbitrator-mediator, of the Piraeus Association for Maritime Arbitration; General Secretary: Eugenia Saridou, attorney at law with K. Konnidas-N. Bartsiokas law firm; Treasurer: Maria Alexandrakis, underwriting manager at Hellenic Hull Management; and Board Member: Eleftheria Magiafi, project manager with Total Quality Consultants. 6. WISTA-Med a success in Madrid The 2nd annual WISTA-Mediterranean Meeting took place during May in Madrid and the Spanish chapter of WISTA warmly hosted over 40 WISTA ladies. This very well organized event was attended by members from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Poland and Portugal, as well as their hosts from Spain. The meeting offered an excellent opportunity for renewal of friendships, networking and discussions about the ongoing political and financial happenings, with particular attention to their effects on the shipping activities in respective countries. The new President of WISTA Spain, Mrs Laura Ferrario; Mrs Consuelo Rivero, Secretary for both the Spanish chapter and WISTA International Executive Committee, and the rest of the Spanish group, spared no effort to create a memorable event for all the participants. Speaker, Mr Jaime Seijas, General Manager of Dry Port Coslada (Madrid) demonstrated innovative methods used for connecting Madrid with the other Spanish ports to ensure the most practical and economical distribution of goods carried by sea.
Mr Jose Luis Fernandez Martin, Head of the Infrastructure Department of Seville Port Authority, followed by elaborating on the special nature and the long history of his port, with special reference to the inland port and new loch. The seven-member Greek delegation from WISTA Hellas was led by the President, Mrs Anna-Maria Monogioudi, who presented the programme of the 30 th Annual WISTA Conference 2010 which is due to take place in Athens from September 29 to October 1 at the Divani Apollon Palace Hotel & Spa. Above: The WISTA Hellas delegation Right: WISTA-Med at Plaza Santa Ana, Madrid 7. Members and Friends of WISTA Hellas elected to prominent positions Maria-Christina Ktistakis, previous President of WISTA Hellas, has been elected as a Member of the Board of the prestigious environmental protection association, HELMEPA. Maria-Christina Ktistakis is Managing Director of Seabound Maritime Inc. At the recent elections of the Piraeus Marine Club, George Gourdomichalis of G. Bros Maritime SA was elected as President. Ilias Tsakiris of our Diamond Sponsor, Hellenic Hull Mutual, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Piraeus Marine Club. The Marine Club, established in 1968 by a group of ship-owners, today has a membership of more than 700 executives. 8. Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee to be led by Haralambos Fafalios In elections to the Council of the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee, which represents the interests of the London Greek maritime community, on May 20, 2010, Mr Haralambos Fafalios of Fafalios Ltd became the new Chairman, succeeding Mr Epaminondas Embiricos who had served as Chairman for 11 years. Other leading officers of the new Council, for the period May 2010 June 2012, are Vice-chairmen Mr Constantinos Carousis, Mr John M Lyras and Mr Dimitris Dragazis.
9. WISTA Turkey supports tall ship race to Greece WISTA Turkey arranged a cocktail reception on May 29 in Karakoy port, Istanbul, to wish a safe voyage to five disabled contestants plus an accompanying person who are now sailing in the tall ship Tenacious on her latest race, which began on June 30 from Istanbul, and which will culminate in the Greek cruise and ferry port of Lavrion on June 4. The Turkish ladies decided to sponsor a team after visiting the Tenacious (pictured left) while in London for the WISTA 2009 Annual Conference, and finding out that the Jubilee Sailing Trust vessel was due to call at Turkey this year. WISTA Turkey President Nuvara Uslu Erdonmez said that the experience of doing something they would otherwise never have dared will change the lives of the five disabled people, who are aged between 22 and 36. Ms Erdonmez paid tribute to WISTA for providing the inspiration and knowledge to support this project, with special thanks to the members of WISTA-Hellas for finding time to organize a welcoming ceremony, amid their intense activities around Posidonia and the WISTA International Conference. 10. Bulk carriers: still work to be done on safety record A new book from the Nautical Institute, Bulk Carrier Practice the Second Edition by Captain Jack Isbester, has been welcomed by the International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos, in the light of regulatory changes ahead. The adoption by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee of goal-based standards for tankers and dry bulk carriers on May 20 2010 means that for the first time, new vessels will have to comply with structural standards set by IMO. Captain Isbester said that accidents can be expected when personnel are inexperienced and inadequately trained, when ships are poorly designed, when there is a mismatch between ship and berth or when the weight of expectation placed on the ship and her crew is unrealistic. Karl Lumbers, a Fellow of the Nautical Institute, who is Director for Ship Inspection and Loss Prevention at the UK P&I Club, said that some 1,300 new bulk carriers were expected to join the world fleet in 2010, which may require as many as 39,000 new seafarers. Against this background, bulk carrier claims posed a significant risk both in number and value. Industry-wide, Mr Lumbers estimated that annual bulk carrier claims of more than $100,000 each totaled more than $1bn. The book is available from: The Nautical Institute, price: 125; ISBN: 978 906915 10 0 - www.nautinst.org The Nautical Institute will be at Posidonia, on Stand 438D.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this first WISTA Hellas Newsletter. Please feel free to circulate this to all your colleagues and contacts throughout the maritime industry. Please send your news and comments to: athens2010@wistaconference.org and James Brewer james@james-brewer.com www.wistaconference.org REGISTER NOW for the EARLY BIRD RATE - available until JULY 5, 2010 Further images from Greece to follow in our forthcoming Newsletters,. so watch this space!!!