Ecological empathy, human leadership, technological foresight, and the voices of children shaped a conference that moved between scales

A full house of senior maritime decision-makers gathered at the HELMEPA International Conference “Ocean Intelligence in MetaShipping: Biodiversity – People – Innovation – Investment” on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, at Posidonia 2026, Athens. Shipowners, maritime leaders, policymakers, financiers, academics, innovators, cadets and students filled the room for a programme that moved from the deep ocean to the bridge, from human to artificial intelligence, ending with children walking into the hall to remind the room why it all matters.

Following the official address by Vassilis Kikilias, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of Greece, a landmark moment was the live signing of the agreement formalising the HELMEPA Home, a space at the Kastraki building in Drapetsona, at the port of Piraeus, dedicated to the sea, to education, and to the next generation. The agreement was signed by HELMEPA Chairperson Semiramis Paliou and Piraeus Port Authority CEO Su Xudong, joined by Director General Olga Stavropoulou and Deputy CEO Panagiotis Tsonis. In her opening address, Chairperson Paliou described the HELMEPA Home as “a place where nine-year-olds will touch a model of the sea floor and discover what lives down there, where cadets will train, where families from the neighborhood will drop by on a Saturday and learn why the sea matters. A space for ocean literacy, maritime heritage, and the protection of the marine environment, open to all.” The Piraeus Port Authority has entrusted HELMEPA with this space, and with their partnership the port of Piraeus becomes part of a legacy for Greek society, for marine life, and for the blue planet. Mr. Su Xudong, CEO of Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA S.A.), stated: “For PPA S.A., supporting HELMEPA’s work is an initiative of particular value. The sea lies at the core of our activity, but also of Piraeus’ identity. Through the creation of the new ‘HELMEPA HOME’, we are contributing to the establishment of a space that will promote knowledge, environmental awareness, and love for the sea, especially among younger generations. We are pleased to support an organisation with such an important and longstanding contribution.”

The Shipowners’ Panel, the central session of the conference, was moderated by Julian Bray, Editor-in-Chief of TradeWinds. Six influential panelists, Alexander Hadjipateras (Dorian LPG), Fragkiskos Kanellakis (Alpha Bulkers / Pantheon Tankers / Alpha Gas, HELMEPA Board Member), Dr. Şadan Kaptanoğlu (Kaptanoglu Shipping), Thanos Pasialis (Alpha Omega Marine), John Michael Radziwill (C Transport Maritime), and Ariane Saverys (EXMAR), gave highly perceptive insight into how innovative and progressive shipowners use their skills, experience and “ocean intelligence” around sustainability, human talent management, technology transformation and management in these disrupted times. They showed a clear path to building more resilient companies today, and for the coming generations to grow a stronger, more versatile and sustainable shipping industry tomorrow.

The conference featured two keynote speakers. Mattias Klum, filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer, and Ambassador for the National Museum of Natural History Goulandris, delivered a keynote on biodiversity intelligence, a forty-minute immersion in the living world that moved the room to silence. Stefanos Karagos, AI Strategy Consultant at CAIO Group, delivered a sharp presentation on artificial intelligence, where it stands, what it means for this industry in practice, and why those who read the current first will lead.

The conference closed with the official launch of a knowledge book with a fairytale, illustrations conceived as an open art gallery, and additional artwork by HELMEPA’s Youth Ambassadors. George Alexandratos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, entered the hall with forty schoolchildren from Hellenic-French School Saint Joseph and the 14th Kindergarten of Nikaia, together with HELMEPA’s Seagull mascot, read a passage from the fairytale live, and brought a room full of maritime executives to a standstill. The moment carried what the entire conference had been building toward: everything we do, we do for them. The book title is “Ma ta Hilia Kymata… (By a Thousand Waves)” was chosen by 3,568 children from 148 schools across Greece. The publication is produced under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair & Network on Sustainable Development Management and Education in the Mediterranean, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. This production was made possible by the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation, continuing a commitment to HELMEPA Junior that Captain Vassilis built from the very beginning: the belief that protecting the sea starts with the youngest. The book will be distributed free of charge to every kindergarten and primary school in Greece in the new school year and released as an audiobook narrated by both George Alexandratos and actor Fanis Mouratidis.

The closing sequence included a video message from 2,000 children from over 100 kindergarten and primary schools and a video of sixteen-year-old Climate Ambassadors, “Let’s Talk About the Ocean”, screened during the conference, is now reaching thousands of children across the Eastern Mediterranean through HELMEPA’s METAVASEA initiative, with the support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation and more than 250 stakeholders across the region.

The conference welcomed Thodoris Vokos, CEO of Posidonia Exhibitions SA, as a new Honorary Member of HELMEPA, in recognition of his years of meaningful support for the Association.

Olga Stavropoulou, Director General of HELMEPA, served as master of the conference.

Alongside the conference, the HELMEPA Stand at Posidonia was highly visited. Visitors played collectively for a good cause, accumulating 4,000,000 points and unlocking new HELMEPA commitments: additional cleanups on remote islands, recycling bins for 50 schools, ocean murals, and Ocean Literacy Labs for all primary schools in Northern Evia. The stand featured a biodiversity art installation created by artist Marietta Karpathiou, Creative Director of Ergon, alongside a sculptural podium by artist Polina Ellis. Every visitor also received a tangible experience of reuse: a goodie bag containing a towel made from plastic bottles collected from the ocean and recycled cotton, while the chairs used throughout the event were 3D printed from fishing nets recovered from the sea, with the kind support of BlueCycle. Waste, in each case, given a second life. The activations together embody what HELMEPA calls artivism: art in the service of action, reaching people that data alone cannot reach.

The conference took place at Posidonia 2026, under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, with the valuable donation of the Athina I. Martinou Foundation and the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation. Media partners: TradeWinds, Naftemporiki, Naftika Chronika, Voice of Greece, and Piraeus365.

Source: HELMEPA