Some the biggest names in the Greek shipping industry, as well as dynamic and important service providers, were recognised with prestigious awards on Friday, December 1st as the 2023 Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards were presented before an industry audience of about 1,100 guests.
Portes Magazine editor Anthe Mitrakos joined the Greek Shipping Awards team for their 20th anniversary celebration of maritime achievement, interviewing award recipients and guests at the shipping world's premier awards event.
Co-emceed by ERT broadcaster Andriana Paraskevopoulou and Lloyd’s List’s Nigel Lowry, the event was full of reminders of the history of the annual awards event. Physical signage as well as impressive digital graphics paid tribute to more than 300 individuals, companies and organisations that have been honoured with the iconic white and blue marble trophy over the past two decades.
A special 20 Years Achievement Award recognised the extraordinary energe and growth of the Greek LNG shipping sector as a world leader over the same time span as the Greek Shipping Awards. Seven major LNG leaders and first-movers in the sector, representing 185 LNG carriers – more than 90% of the Greek-controlled fleet, were awarded on the night.
The other special Award of the night saw Evangelos M. Marinakis and Capital Product Partners (CPLP) named as the winners of the Deal of the Decade Award for their 2008 deal to spin off CPLP’s tanker fleet in a $1.65 billion merger with Diamond S Shipping.
Shipowner George Procopiou was named Greek Shipping Personality of the Year for a historic second time, while International Chamber of Shipping president Emanuele Grimaldi was unveiled as the International Personality of the Year for an unprecedented second time.
Other major individual awards included the Lloyd’s List / Propeller Club Lifetime Achievement Award that went to shipowner Nicholas G. Moundreas, chairman of NGM Energy. Newsmaker of the Year was Kriton Lentoudis, of Evalend Shipping, for another extraordinarily active year in contracting of newbuildings.
The Next Generation Shipping Award, for industry personalities of no more than 40 years of age, went to Petros Panagiotidis, of Castor Maritime and Toro Corp.
Captain Kyriakos Mouzakis, master of Zante Ferries’ ro-ro passenger ferry Adamantios Korais, was honoured as Seafarer of the Year for his outstanding conduct in August 2023 when the Alexandroupolis Hospital was evacuated and his vessel took patients to Kavalla, acting as an operational hospital ship.
In a welcome address, Deputy Minister of Shipping & Island Policy Ioannis Pappas, representing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, offered his congratulations to the nominees as well as the winners of the 2023 Awards.
Neptune Maritime Leasing was the overall lead sponsor of the Greek Shipping Awards for the first time.
Guests enjoyed a pre-dinner drinks reception hosted by Erma First while CMB Financial Leasing offered the traditional champagne toast to the health of Greek shipping.
A donation from proceeds of the event went to ‘Argo’, the charity supporting children with disabilities in the families of Greek seafarers. The legendary windsurfer Nikos Kaklamanakis, an Olympic gold and silver medalist who was the recipient of a special ‘Man of the Sea’ Award at the inaugural 2004 Greek Shipping Awards, formally presented the donation to Argo on behalf of the event organisers.
Kaklamanakis also autographed copies of the ‘20 Years Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards’ commemorative book published to coincide with the anniversary. Ten of the special copies, also signed by Greek singing star Fotini Darra, and the events co-hosts Paraskevopoulou and Lowry, were auctioned during the event and raised an additional amount for Argo. All guests at the event received their own copy of the book.
The annual awards recognise achievement and meritorious activity in the Greek shipping industry and promote Greece as a maritime centre. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges representing a broad cross-section of the Greek shipping industry.
Diana Shipping was named Dry Cargo Company of the Year while Tsakos Energy Navigation won the Tanker Company of the Year Award. In a rare victory for the cruise sector over Greek ferry lines, Celestyal Cruises won the Passenger Line of the Year Award.
Erma First won its second Technical Achievement Award, for its new high-rated compact Carbon Capture and Storage system (CCS). Star Bulk Carriers won the coveted Sustainability Award and Black Rope took the Safety Award.
Cass Technava Maritime won the Shipbroker of the Year Award – for an unprecedented third time. The Greek Shipping Financier of the Year Award went to Alpha Bank.
V.Ships Greece was recipient this year’s Piraeus International Centre Award. Helmepa Academy was named winner of the 2023 Award for Achievement in Education or Training.
The highly competitive Ship of the Year Award went to “Antonis I. Angelicoussis”, the newly-built LNG dual-fuel VLCC of Maran Tankers.
The Lloyd’s List Intelligence Big Data Award was presented to Procureship.
The Greek Shipping Awards thanked all the Greek and international sponsors of the prestigious event, many of which have loyally supported the Awards for many years. This was recognised in the form of honorary statuettes being presented to a trio of sponsors supporting the event for 10 years: Bureau Veritas, Marichem Marigases and the Tsakos Group. Lloyd’s Register received an unprecedented 20 Years of Sponsorship Award for sponsoring the environmental protection / sustainability award since its inception in 2004.