Did I hear you talk about vibrant events in Piraeus this Christmas…? you are about to know …err read of what happened at 5 Aetolikou Street with two class society groups; their celebrations exceeding any previous record!
With easy access and no further parking problems following RINA’s event in the same building, at the same time, we attended the DNV GL Christmas event, our third maritime reception of the day, where over 500 well-wishers in a festive mood with the hosts celebrated Christmas to the full as well as congratulated both societies on their merger! It was the first major international event for DNV and GL since forming one entity. With a new catchphrase, as most promptly recognised: “Safer, Smarter and Cleaner, ” the new organisation sets sail to new horizons!
The room bursting to its seams…
A great buffet with traditional canapés and drinks, and guests from all over the place greeting and chatting; the DNV GL events department organised and managed the creation of a great atmosphere and if you had missed same, well you can imagine!
Academia’s reps with the ALBA duo Antonina Kalkavoura and Spyros Vougious; shipbrokers such as Global Oceanic Chartering’s Giannis Stavrou; shipowners and shipmanagers including Dionysis Peppas (old friend and supporter from London) and Fotis Dalmyras both from Pantheon Tanker Management; Dimitris N Fokas from the Angelicoussis Group (another formerly London-based friend); Styliani Florou from Prime Marine Management, ;marine and technical consultants, including John Iakovides, Harry Petrakakos (P & P Marine Consultants) and George Maghioros (Shipcare Marine Services) were present as in many previous class societies’ festive events;, Leonidas Valmas from Valmarine Services – who never ever missed a London maritime exhibition event; Elpida Koutsoukou and George Panou from Marine Plus SA; marine industrialists were also there – Andreas Varouhas from the old-established Katradis Group, as was Aristofanes Chionis from Swat Security Systems, and many, many others…
DNV GL’s Georgios Teriakidis with journalists Ilias and George Bissias from Naftika Chronika
We met many members from the DNV GL group, most of them friends from the past, including Ioannis Kourmatzis from the London office who was recently appointed regional manager for Western Europe & Africa; Georgios Teriakidis, principal surveyor and customer services manager for the eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea; Katerina Aravantinou formerly with GL and now expert plan approval engineer with DNV GL’s Maritime Service Centre; Konstantinos Siozos, formerly also with GL and now DNV GL’s principal surveyor, and station manager for Cyprus, Israel and Lebanon; Konstantinos Vasileiades DNV GL’s customer service manager for Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Lebanon…
ALBA’s Antonina Kalkavoura and Spyros Vougious
Journalists where there too with Petros Diplas from the Shipping & Finance gazette, Markos Kantzios from maritime.gr, George and Ilias Bissias from Naftika Chronika and many others…
The epicentre of all discussions was the merger and what same will offer to clients of both of the IACS member societies and beyond in the shipping, offshore and other related industries with which DNV GL is involved.
DNV GL’s Konstantinos Siozos and Konstantina Aravantinou with John Faraclas
On this and other issues we managed to speak with Nikos Boussounis the new regional director of the DNV GL Group who accepted to give us a quick interview; log on below to hear what he had to say:
