In a highly successful and warm event under the auspices of the British Embassy in Athens on Wednesday, 24th of April 2024, the British-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce honoured the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee for its long-standing presence and contribution to the strengthening and promotion of Greek-British maritime relations, which count many years of parallel and cooperative progress.
Matthew Lodge, British Ambassador to Greece, Christos Stylianidis, the Greek Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy and Charalambos J. Fafalios, President of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee, participated in the official lunch at the Piraeus Maritime Club. The event took place in the presence of representatives of Greece’s political leadership, prominent Greek and foreign businessmen from the shipping industry, many members of the GSCC (Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee), the BHCC (British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce) and other institutional bodies, high-ranking executives from important sectors of the economy, as well as representatives of the press.
Welcoming the participants, Anna Kalliani, Greek President of the BHCC, referred to the historical role of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee in terms of the connection between Greece and the United Kingdom in shipping, stressing that today it is particularly important to highlight our history, transmitting it to the new generations of standards. She pointed out that society does not recognise the scope of the global contribution of Greek shipping to the Greek and global economy, as well as the scope of the diverse social and cultural work of its members. Continuing her speech, she referred to the prospects for strengthening bilateral relations in the wider shipping industry, as a result of the two countries’ policies in areas such as shipping investments, the transition to the green economy, innovation ecosystems, and risk management. Ending her speech, she underlined the intention of the BHCC to assist in this direction of cooperation with its members.
In his opening address, the British Ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge,  stated: “Our two countries share a proud maritime history and tradition, which is also reflected in their recent election to the IMO Executive Council, a landmark event of which I am deeply proud. And just as we have traditionally built on our heritage to forge a close partnership on the international stage, let us come together again in leveraging our strengths to chart a path to a sustainable future of prosperity in shipping and global trade.”
Afterwards, the British Ambassador invited Christos Stylianidis, Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, to the floor, who said: “Greece and the United Kingdom are marching together, in close cooperation, both to achieve the green transition and to develop – planning – radical but also realistic policies”.
The important work of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee was prefaced by Manos Lorentzos, Greek Vice-President of the BHCC and CEO of Seascope in Greece and he pointed out: “It will be difficult to find detailed historical reviews of the Committee by searching the Internet, which is not usual for an organisation that will soon celebrate 90 years of activity. On the contrary, you will find a wealth of analyses by the Committee itself on all the important issues that concern Greek and global shipping from time to time. Of course, being based in London, it has the advantage of being close to and in constant dialogue with all the important shipping bodies and organisations. It is an example of successful cooperation in an industry where individual initiative is at the forefront.”
This was followed by the speech of Charalambos J. Fafalios, President of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee in London, who said: “It is a great honour for our organisation, the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee, to be awarded by the British-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. After a full 90 years of representing the Greek shipping community in the United Kingdom, and in particular in London, the Committee has moved very flexibly over time according to the needs of its members and seeing the challenges facing the Greek and global shipping industry. Starting in 1935 as the Greek Shipping Stabilisation Committee, it was and is the role of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee in close cooperation with the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) to listen, advise and propose solutions to many of the challenges of the global shipping industry. This dynamic perspective, I am sure will continue in the future with the help of a very specialized Board of Directors and its active Secretariat”.
After the speeches, the Presidents of the BHCC Anna Kalliani and Kenny Evangelou and the Greek Vice-President Manos Lorentzos presented an honorary award to the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee for the work it has been carrying out continuously for the last almost 90 years and its valuable contribution to strengthening and promotion of Greek-British maritime relations. The award was received by Charalambos J. Fafalios, President of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee.
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The British-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce warmly thanks the companies:
PLATINUM SPONSOR: LAMDA DEVELOPMENT
GOLD SPONSORS:Â BERY MARITIME INC, HOWDEN HELLAS, KATRADIS MARINE ROPES, SEASCOPE, VERTICAL SOLUTIONS, WE Architectural Tank
BHCC SUPPORTERS:Â ACCOUNTING SOLUTIONS, AEGEAN AIRLINES, KLC LAW FIRM, PwC GREECE
Photo Credits:Â Studio Kominis
