by Anny Zade,
The Environment and in particular the maritime one, is of paramount importance all over Planet Ocean given the current situation with emissions, pollution et al emanating from dozens of causes.
This interview with Olga Stavropoulou, HELMEPA’s director general, to allaboutshipping.co.uk comes at no better time following the Chios Climate Change Conference in early September, IMO’s MEPC 82, the biennial Malta Maritime Summit 2024, WISTA International AGM / 50th Anniversary in Cyprus, as well as the forthcoming Economist’s Eighth Sustainability Summit of SE Europe & Mediterranean (Reinventing green leadership: Collectivity vs Fragmentation), Marine Money and the ESG event and awards on 18 October 2024.
Just four questions with four straight answers – food for thought for all involved; here we go:
How relevant is HELMEPA’s declaration mandate “Voluntary commitment to Save the Seas” in today’s heavily regulated industry?
It remains profoundly relevant. When HELMEPA was founded in 1982, maritime regulations were still evolving. G.P. Livanos, HELMEPA’s visionary founder, made a call to unite shipowners and seafarers around the shared values of goodwill and filotimo—the Greek concept of honor and duty to the community. This wasn’t just about complying with laws; it was about acting proactively to protect the seas as a noble cause.
Even today, forty-two years later, with strict regulations in place, the voluntary commitment remains vital. Regulations ensure compliance, but beyond that, we need to nurture the mindset required for long-term environmental stewardship. The challenges we face now—climate change, emissions reduction, and sustainable shipping—demand more than just rule-following. They require the value-driven mentality that has always been at the heart of HELMEPA from the very beginning.
Cultivating the mindset of volunteering is a skill that we nurture from an early age, starting as young as 5 years old in schools, and continuing throughout a maritime professional’s career. Volunteering, in any form—whether in a technical industry like shipping or a youth initiative for a beach cleanup—requires not only shared values but also the right methodology, tools, and training. It’s this “professional approach” that ensures results, impact, and consistency.
With today’s connectivity, HELMEPA’s declaration is truly a two-way process. We maintain direct communication with our members and volunteers, actively listening to their input and developing bottom-up methodologies, tools, and training. In turn, we amplify this grassroots message, transforming voluntary commitment into tangible actions that reach a global audience. This is further expanded through the growth of the MEPA movement, which has inspired the creation of similar organizations in countries like Cyprus, Nigeria, the Philippines, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States, and Uruguay. Together, as part of INTERMEPA, we demonstrate that while regulations are important, it’s the collective mindset and values that drive lasting change in protecting our oceans.
To what extent does HELMEPA’s training program cover the training needs of today’s seafarers, and to what depth?
HELMEPA’s training program is comprehensive, inclusive, and deeply responsive to the evolving needs of today’s maritime professionals. We have developed a bottom-up participatory methodology, where every training program is designed based on the requirements, needs, and expectations of our members’ employees, both onshore and onboard. Through surveys and focus groups, we engage directly with the end beneficiaries to co-design training that precisely meets their needs. This dynamic, participatory approach ensures that our training is aligned with real-world demands.
Acting as a certified Maritime Training Centre, our 360 degrees training proposition covers key topics such as Pollution Prevention, Safety at Sea, and Environmental Awareness, alongside crucial contemporary issues like maritime decarbonization, MARPOL compliance, ballast water management, crew wellness, sustainable finance, and digital transition topics such as cybersecurity. We also offer more specialized training in ESG with our new masterclass receiving excellent feedback for its deep dive into ESG integration.
Since 1982, more than 35,000 seafarers, company executives, and navy officers have participated in HELMEPA’s training programs. We were one of the first to offer STCW-required Marine Environmental Awareness training, certifying over 2,000 seafarers since 2013. Additionally, the book on Marine Environment Protection compiled by HELMEPA scientists and published by Eugenides Foundation is now a staple in Merchant Marine Academies, while our full mission Bridge Simulator, which was kindly offered to HELMEPA by associate member DNV and recently upgraded through donations of members Gaslog, Drylog and Hellenic War Risks P&I, offers our members’ deck officers hands-on seminars to keep them at the cutting edge on themes such as Bridge Resource Management, Advanced Ship Handling, COLREGS and Incident Analysis. Our latest STCW courses, developed with SQLearn and recently approved by the Cyprus authority, are part of this holistic training approach.
Our awarded HELMEPA Academy, which offers approximately 35-40 webinars, seminars, and workshops annually on over 75 topics, is a central hub for maritime professionals, while many courses are available in digital format through our e-learning platform, making it accessible to a wider audience. Currently, we are working on the Soft Skills Masterclass and Environmental Leadership Masterclass, while updating the IMO model courses for Marine Environmental Awareness. All of these will be available to our community.
What is the trend of members companies, vessels and seafarers in the last 10 years?
In strength, there is unity. This is why we opened up with the 2020 revision of HELMEPA’s Constitution, allowing for broader participation to bring in not just the Greek maritime community, but also companies and organizations from outside the shipping industry. This revision reflects our commitment to sustainable development, empowering a wider range of stakeholders to stand with HELMEPA in raising environmental awareness and promoting sustainable principles to an even broader audience.
Over the past four years, HELMEPA has transformed significantly, with membership growing to 358 companies and a fleet of 2,341 vessels —a substantial increase. Today, we count nearly 15,000 seafarers and maritime professionals as part of our community, demonstrating our shared commitment to protecting the oceans and driving sustainable practices across the industry.
HELMEPA has evolved into an open, multi-level, participatory platform within the shipping community, supported by a global network of stakeholders, all dedicated to the noble cause of saving the seas. Our greatest strength comes from our volunteers, who embody the timeless values of filotimo (a sense of honor), trust, cooperation, and the power of collective action.
Our members are the driving force behind HELMEPA’s extensive work—whether in the field, at sea, in schools, academia, public organizations, or the maritime community. The breadth and impact of our work, both in Greece and internationally, is a direct result of their united efforts. They are the facilitators of the mission we carry forward.
and
How do you see HELMEPA’s future in 10 years’ time?
In ten years, I see, I trust, and I work towards this goal: that HELMEPA, this historic and impactful organization, remains relevant. Relevant to people, oceans, and technological progress.
As a transformative force and opinion shaper, a social innovation best practice—setting new standards, methods, and strategies, and opening up new ways to protect our oceans—HELMEPA will empower seafarers, maritime professionals, youth, schoolchildren, and society at large, leaving no one behind, with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to protect our loving blue planet.
Looking to the future, HELMEPA, guided by its founders’ noble cause and its people—members, volunteers, seafarers—will remain proactive, authentic, and synergetic. True to its mission, with integrity at its core, I envision HELMEPA having its own physical home, open to all, from every walk of life, to connect with the sea, to collaborate, and carry forward the mission to save the seas.
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We look forward to our readership comments.
