Μinister of Maritime Affairs Christos Stylianidis outlined the immediate priorities of the ministry in his speech at the Piraeus Maritime Club.
Officials in Brussels, he said, have begun to understand the important role of European shipping, as “without it you cannot compete with anyone.”
He emphasized that Piraeus should maintain its importance as a shipping hub, which means multiple activities and new jobs.
Referring to the developments regarding the “green” transition of the shipping sector, he underlined that a five-member committee has already been set up in the Ministry of Shipping, which will closely monitor developments at the international level and be in constant communication with the shipping companies.
He stated that steps on this matter should be realistic and based on science.
The Minister underlined that Brussels will play an important role in the “green” transition, because first of all they are the ones who, whether we like it or not, negotiate for all of us in international contacts and have a role in the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The goal, he explained, is how we handle the green transition, stating that we can simultaneously upgrade shipping at the level of the European Commission in many ways.
Stylianidis called 2024 the year of maritime education, an area that is one of his main priorities. Now that I became a minister, I realized how big a subject maritime education is for a maritime country like Greece, he said, and, citing data, he emphasized that by 2030, out of 2 million seamen worldwide, 800,000 should be trained on newer technology ships and particularly in LNG. He also pointed out that we may have various schools everywhere, but we have not become attractive to young people so that they choose the maritime profession.
“We need young people in the maritime profession, to keep the Greek flag, but also to have a reliable staff on our ships,” Stylianides said and announced a public consultation with all agencies before there is a final conclusion.
Regarding the issue of security in Greek ports, he said that it is an important goal and concerns coastal shipping and shipping in general.
