The Hellenic Shortsea Promotion Center (SPC Greece) assumed the presidency of the European Shortsea Network. ESN is the European body for the cooperation, promotion and development of shortsea shipping, handling 60% of intra-community trade, amounting to 1.79 million tons.
It is one of the main pillars for the systematic shift of flows from road axes to maritime routes, as a means of decongesting European roads, reducing accidents and providing more environmentally friendly services.
Under the ESN umbrella, 13 National Centers operate: Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway, Finland, Turkey, Ireland, Portugal, Poland, Malta, Croatia, Cyprus and Greece.
SPC Greece, one of the founding members of the ESN, was established in 1998 and has maintained the Permanent Secretariat of the European Network since 2020. The presidential term begins on January 1, 2025.
SPC Greece has been entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring and implementing the community decisions related to shortsea shipping at national and European level and operates under the Association of Short Sea Shipping Shipowners.
The president of the Hellenic Shortsea Promotion Center, Charalambos Simantonis, stated: “We are particularly happy that the European shortsea entrusts us with the presidency and essentially the coordination of actions in a period of intense challenges at the European and international level and the ongoing green transition. It is a difficult and demanding moment and it is important that Greeks are in key positions for shipping and transport. Therefore, I am optimistic about the effectiveness of our project, because there is cooperation and goal-setting from all of us.”
