The ‘just transition’ of shipping to decarbonisation must prioritise seafarers at the core of the process

New technology, energy efficiency, seafarer education and training took centre stage at the 18th Greener Shipping Summit April 2025, organised by Newsfront / Naftiliaki under the auspices of the Greek Shipping’s Marine Technical Managers Association (Martecma).

With the shipping industry at a crossroads, facing mounting regulatory pressures to reduce emissions, along with the challenges of new technologies in a digital era, some 20 panelists and 320 delegates from 259 companies located in 11 countries discussed new technologies and the enhancing of maritime education for the next generation of seafarers at the Summit held April 1 at the Eugenides Foundation, Athens, Keynote speaker Dimitris Fafalios, Secretary of the board of directors of the Union of Greek Shipowners and Intercargo’s honorary chairman, focused on Maritime Decarbonisation, education and training for the next generation of seafarers, and the challenges and opportunities in the digital era.

According to Fafalios “The EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime Regulations, as well as the expected IMO mid-term measures require immediate action and new technologies, and new fuels will play a crucial role in the decarbonisation process of the industry.”

In this environment he said “The successful transition to new technologies and alternative fuels hinges on comprehensive re-training for seafarers and shore personnel,” adding that “Mariners must gain the skills, knowledge and experience needed to operate advanced technology systems and manage new fuels safely.”

Fafalios emphasised “the ‘just transition’ of shipping to decarbonisation must prioritise seafarers at the core of the process” urging stakeholders, particularly the IMO, governments, shipowners and maritime education providers, to collaborate to ensure upskilling and reskilling opportunities are available for seagoing professionals worldwide.

“The safety of our people at sea, our vessels, and the protection of the environment must remain paramount,” declared Fafalios.

Fafalios said mariners and operators need training to mitigate risks as cybersecurity threats are a growing concern, urging that with the rise of AI, machine learning, and digital twins, the industry should ensure that they complement human expertise rather than replace it.

Looking at the future of shipping he stated “the opportunities are bountiful. Increased safety, better living standards on board, improved training and health support as well as improved efficiency are leading to reduced emissions.”

Continuous technological advancements in the shipping industry led to new learning techniques — both in hard and soft skills  — needed for the education of seafarers but also for everyone involved in the maritime industry. As future technologies must be learned and implemented by a new generation of people both on board and ashore, this must be done with the highest levels of safety, efficiency, and competence.

Those issues were tackled by the first panel moderated by Takis Koutris, managing director of Roxana Shipping, who said that “the best method for learning effectiveness reaching up to 70% is ‘learning engagement’, where a structured team with a facilitator tackles an issue and each person presents its experience to each other”

Alexandros Arampatzoglou, vetting manager, Latsco Marine Management, said “we cannot underestimate hands-on experience,” adding “although there is a fast advancement of new technologies, there are three common factors that remain constant: confidence, decision making and preparedness of the seafarers”.

Dimitris Fokas, training manager, Angelicoussis Shipping Group, and chairman of Intertanko’s Human Element Committee, said an issue the industry faces is that each company sets its own individual standards of training, trying to develop a new VR environment and replace the classic face to face training.

Venetia Kallipolitou, cross departmental HR and training manager Tsakos Group, said “while all these technologies offer significant benefits, they are best used as complimentary tools”, adding that it is crucial “seafarers should develop practical, physical and interpersonal skills needed for their jobs”.

Woosunk Kil, principal surveyor, AI convergence center, R&D division, KR, spoke about ‘Ship familiarization training with virtual reality’, on how to build an efficient ship environment, how it can be done and why use it in the maritime industry.

Katerina Palla, head Global Marine Training, RINA, said “we need to change the mindset of people to want the usage of new technologies onboard, while more teamwork will be needed to support seafarers along with stress management, so we don’t end up with expensive toys on ships.”

Constantinos Triantafillou, head of Strategy and development, Helmepa, said that “AI and VR are incorporated in the current training systems”, but he admitted a major issue is the reluctance for change. Referring to Helmepa’s training courses, he said “we in Helmepa are trying to change the mindset of people” and combine this knowledge to onboard crew and onshore staff.

Fotis Belexis, technical director Star Bulk Carrier, and moderator of the second panel, in his opening statement said “the maritime industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by decarbonization goals, digitalization, automation, and an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. In this context, today collaboration among key players has never been more critical.”

Maria Bertzeletou, market analyst at Signal Group, said “we must think outside the box” and to “combine academia and industry” through a “nice blending of theoretical courses and practical experience.

Stefanos Chatzinikolaou, assistant professor, Ship Technology, University of Piraeus, mentioned the collaboration of the academia with shipping companies for research projects with EU funds.

Professor Stylianos Pappas, head of Automation Control Systems Laboratory, Merchant Marine Academy of Aspropyrgos, said that full recognition of Merchant Marine Academies as higher educational institutions is the key to the reform of public maritime education.

Christos Hadjigeorgiou, managing director of Almi Marine Management, spoke about the differences of vessels of yesterday with today’s modern ship such as the absence of radio officers and the need to support the vessels with the competent personnel needed.

Jennifer Harrison, vice president, Training Solutions, ABS, referred to the building by the classification of virtual platforms to educate seafarers hands-on. She said ABS is setting up a new training center for seafarers in Greece, where a VR experience will be created for the classification’s clients.

The third panel, moderated by Stavros Hatzigrigoris of Advanced Engineering Services and Zodiac Maritime, addressed issues related to new shipping technologies, decarbonisation, the use of LNG and the new fuels in shipping, the combination of soft and hard skills that maritime professionals are required to obtain and present as well as training and focus on AI and VR in shipping industry.

The CCO of Vanzetti Engineering, Andrea Capuani, said LNG will be present the next 10-15 years and will be the ‘main transitional fuel the next five years’ and Bio-LNG or synthetic LNG will also be part of the shipping’s transition.

The technical director SEEBA Zone of BV, John Kokarakis, addressed issues related to new technologies and the necessary training demanded, saying ‘The industry is changing and training should change too. We must deal with all technologies and train the crew; they are the final deliverers of technology’.

Natassa Kouvertari said that ‘the starting point should be the safety’ and that the Maritime Just Transition Task Force (MJTTF) emphasizes the need for safety and competency evolution alongside technological advancements.

The regional maritime academies manager, SouthEast Europe DNV, Marina Papaioannou, said ‘We need to reshape the training. We don’t have clear evidence on how to train our people. We need qualified, specific trainers and we lack them now’.

The managing director of Ionic Group, Spyros Vlassopoulos, said ‘The youngsters of this industry are better prepared’, while emphasizing the need to train the personnel and be more open-minded in the industry.

Chaired by George Kriezis, technical director of Neptune Group of Companies, the Summit was sponsored by ABS, Bureau Veritas, DNV, KR Korean Register, LR, Marichem Worldwide, Oceanking, RINA, Vanzetti Cryogenic Technology.