For the 11th consecutive year, the Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association (HSSA) held its now established annual meeting with the maritime community for the Scholarship Awards Ceremony, which took place on 10 March 2026 at the Eugenides Foundation.
The President and the Board of Directors of HSSA welcomed scholarship recipients, sponsors, representatives of the government and the academic community, as well as more than 200 distinguished members of the wider maritime family.
With the defining characteristic of unwavering dedication to supporting the new generation that will take the helm of Greek shipping — both the seafarers serving on board ships and the professionals supporting them ashore companies and organisations reaffirmed their commitment to stand alongside HSSA. As scholarship sponsors, they pledged to continue supporting the Association’s efforts to provide opportunities for as many young men and women as possible to further specialise their knowledge for the benefit of the maritime sector.
In his opening remarks, the President of HSSA and President of the European Shortsea Network, Mr. Haralambos Simantonis, emphasised that through the provision of approximately 100 scholarships totalling more than 400,000, HSSA brings together the entire maritime community under a shared goal of contribution and support. He added that “even during challenging times, it is important to remain consistent with the values that guide us and with our long-standing goals, despite any adversities.”
The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Mr. Vasilis Kikilias, representing the Prime Minister of Greece, congratulated HSSA for this initiative, noting that such actions also demonstrate the quality and strength of Greek shipping. At the same time, he encouraged the younger generation to consider careers in shipping, highlighting not only the attractive financial prospects but also the opportunities for professional growth, personal development, and a dynamic daily professional life.
Welcoming remarks were also delivered by Mr. Vasileios Logothetis, Vice President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, who stated that the Chamber consistently supports initiatives of this nature. Mr. Leonidas Dimitriadis-Eugenides, President of the Eugenides Foundation, highlighted the importance and quality of maritime education and the Foundation’s contribution in this field.
The patriarch of Greek shipping, Captain Panagiotis Tsakos, who has been a supporter of the HSSA Scholarship Programme since its inception, also addressed the audience. During his speech, he announced that two additional scholarships will be offered for the next academic year through the Maria Tsakos Foundation.
Representing the Scholarship Evaluation Committee, Professor Stratos Papadimitriou of the University of Piraeusnoted that selecting the scholarship recipients is a demanding process that combines academic and social criteria, while at the same time offering great satisfaction to the committee members for contributing to HSSA’s mission.
An insightful historical overview of the conditions that led to the rise of Greek shipping — and its subsequent dynamic international expansion — was presented by Mr. Angelos Syrigos, Professor of International Law and Foreign Policy at Panteion University and Member of the Hellenic Parliament. Through his engaging presentation, Mr. Syrigos explained how the early shipowners capitalised on their privileges with remarkable entrepreneurial skill and how the wealth they accumulated later helped finance the Greek War of Independence, laying the foundations of the modern Greek state.
All scholarship sponsors expressed their pride and emotion in participating in this shared journey of contribution with HSSA, confirming their continued support. Additionally, one more scholarship for the next academic year was announced, generously offered by Oceanking.
The sponsors then presented the scholarships to the recipients, emphasising that their support extends beyond the financial award itself, also including guidance and encouragement during the first steps of the recipients’ professional careers.
The scholarship recipients for the academic year 2025–2026 are:
Scholarships for the English language MBA in Shipping were awarded to Alexandros Fan and George Tzavarini, by Ilias Karyampas, Vice President Southern Europe Marine Business Development, ABS, and Serafeim Kapros, Chairman of the Department of Shipping, Trade and Transport and Director of the MBA in Shipping, University of the Aegean.
Spyros Alexandratos Scholarship was awarded to Konstantinos-Taxiarchis Bonis, MSc in Shipping Management, University of Piraeus, by Katerina Alexandratou, General Manager of Apollonia Lines.
Bureau Veritas Scholarship was awarded to Efrosyni Nankouzaloglou, MSc in International Shipping, Finance & Management, Athens University of Economics and Business, by George Andreadis, Marine & Offshore Director for Greece, Malta and Cyprus, Bureau Veritas.
Spanopoulos Group Scholarship was awarded to Kalliopi Menelaou, Special Education & Training, University of Nicosia and University of Patras, by Giannis Fatseas, Commercial Director of Promarine.
Load Line Marine Scholarship was awarded to Anastasia Stamouli, MSc in Shipping, University of Piraeus, by George Souravlas, CEO of Load Line Marine.
Evdoxia Gerasimou Scholarship was awarded to Styliani-Christina Kapsimali, LLM in Maritime Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, by Nikos Gerasimou, Legal Advisor of HSSA and Partner at Gerasimou & Partners Law Firm, together with Professor Lia Athanasiou, Professor of Commercial Law at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
BCA College Scholarships were awarded to Stefanos Tsavalias and Efstratia Marmatinou, both for the MSc in Shipping Business, by Charalampos Daskalakis, CEO of BCA College.
RINA Scholarships were awarded to Christina Theodoropoulou (graduate of the MSc in Shipping, University of Piraeus), Spyridon Chandras (graduate of the Department of Shipping, Trade and Transport, University of the Aegean) and Stefanos Zacharias, by Spyridon Zolotas, Vice President Marine South Europe, RINA, Efthymios Stasinos, South Europe Marine Commercial Director, RINA, and Katerina Palla, Head of Athens Open Innovation Hub Operations, RINA.
Metropolitan College Scholarship was awarded to Ilianna Ganiatsa, MSc in International Maritime Business, by Dr. Christos Patsiouras, Dean of the School of Maritime and Transport.
American Bureau of Shipping Scholarships for the postgraduate programme Shipping, Transport and International Trade of the University of the Aegean were awarded to Paschalina Dimitrakopoulou, Andreas Antoniou, and Triantafyllia Konstantinidi, by Maria Kyratsoudi, Director of Business Development, ABS, and Dr. Maria Lekakou, Professor at the Department of Shipping, Trade and Transport, University of the Aegean.