• The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of the Hellenic Republic, the International Chamber of Shipping  and the Union of Greek Shipowners will be co-hosting the high-level ‘Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit’ in Athens in June.
• The Summit will bring together Ministers and high-level members of the maritime value chain, including Vassilis Kikilias, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Hellenic Republic, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, European Commission, Alexis Vafiades, Minister of Transport, Communications and Work, Republic of Cyprus, Fu Xuyin, Vice Minister of Transport, the People’s Republic of China, and Karin Orsel, CEO, MF Shipping; President, ECSA, who have already confirmed their participation.
• The theme of the summit is ‘Navigating global megatrends, mitigating risk and the role of shipping in delivering economic security and prosperity’ and aims to build consensus and provide unique perspectives on critical maritime trade issues.7 May 2025, London – The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of the Hellenic Republic, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) are pleased to announce their commitment to co-host a high-level summit in Athens, Greece. At a time of significant volatility in the sector the Summit will bring together policymakers and industry leaders to address the critical issues impacting global trade and the maritime value chain. The Summit also provides a timely platform for industry leaders to discuss how to convert the GHG reduction agreement at the International Maritime Organization into reality and catalyse the supply of new fuels.The Summit, aptly titled ‘Shaping the Future of Shipping: Navigating global megatrends, mitigating risk and the role of shipping in delivering economic security and prosperity’, will be held at the Athens Conservatoire on 11 June 2025.

  Mr Vassilis Kikilias, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of the Hellenic Republic, stated:

  “I am honoured to welcome Ministers and shipping industry leaders to Greece, a country with a multi-millennial shipping tradition and a globally thriving shipping sector. Hosting this important Summit in Greece bears an emblematic value for us. We are eager to see substantial discussions on the challenges of international shipping, which are multiplying in the everchanging geopolitical and regulatory landscape of our times. I would like to thank the co-hosts and all the participants for promoting fair and realistic solutions that will help us navigate through these turbulent times.”

  Efficient trade and economic growth

  On the back of global trade and security volatility, and during a time of dynamism and change for the sector, the Summit will provide a platform for high-level discussion on global megatrends, including geopolitical conflict, security of supply chains, political upheaval, mass migration, fragility of rules- based order, impact of advanced technology, changing nature of work, food and energy security.

High profile discussion

The Summit, organised by the International Chamber of Shipping in partnership with the Union of Greek Shipowners and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Hellenic Republic, aims to bring together ministers from across the world, policymakers from transport and trade departments, regulators, international agencies, and hundreds of senior leaders from shipping, finance, ports, energy, logistics, and invited experts. This diverse range of invitees aims to cut through traditional stove pipe thinking and help to identify opportunities for collaboration and deliver economic security and prosperity.

Ms Melina Travlos, President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, commented:

“Our sector, as the whole world, is going through some exceptional times. And extraordinary times call for extraordinary action. And above all cooperation. Which is why we are especially pleased that the ICS, the institutional voice of international shipping, has taken the initiative to convene this important gathering amidst critical international developments, which affect shipping deeply.

Maritime transport is not just an industry. It is a common good one that underpins every aspect of our everyday life. However, the uninterrupted provision of its services is not a given nowadays, and neither is the industry’s long-term sustainability.

Open lines of communication and an understanding of our sector’s needs and strategic role for the global economy and the people’s welfare are vital. We, therefore, welcome to Greece, the cradle of maritime tradition, the ICS Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit for meaningful and constructive discussions.”

Mr Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping, added:

“The shipping sector is playing a central role in the current discourse on global trade. We face more challenges and threats than we have in probably two decades. This is why we want to bring leaders together to discuss the best solutions at the critical intersection of policymaking and industry action. Industry and governments must work together to address these challenges, we cannot work in isolation.

I am hearted by the positive response we have to this idea and the fact that we already have so many people accepting our invitation to join us in Athens. I am particularly grateful to Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and Ministers Alexis Vafiades and Fu Xuyin, for being the first policymakers to accept our invitation. We also have an amazing list of industry leaders agreeing to join our summit which shows just how timely this meeting will be for our industry.

I would also like to thank Minister Vassilis Kikilias and his predecessor Christos Stylianides, and the Union of Greek Shipowners, for their support in bringing the idea of this summit to life.”

Building on the success of previous Shaping the Future of Shipping summits, this invitation only gathering will present opportunities for open discussion, encourage unique perspectives, and facilitate the development of actionable solutions to address the challenges facing the industry.

Evolving regulatory framework

The discussions will focus on the geopolitical issues facing shipping, the regulations which shape the industry, and the seafarer recruitment and training needed to secure global trade in the future.

Some of the key discussions will also centre on the regulatory framework around greenhouse gas emissions (in particular the GHG pricing mechanism), the outcomes of MEPC83 meeting and importantly, the next steps, and the progress of the Clean Energy Marine (CEM) Hubs initiative.