The 20 per cent increase over the respective day of Posidonia 2010 sets a new historic benchmark for the most prestigious maritime community forum and is a reminder of the significance of Greek shipping as a leading world power and the potential role it can play in the recovery of the Greek economy.
"The move to the new, state-of-the-art venue and the comprehensive seminars and conferences programme acted like magnets for many shipping professionals who confirmed Posidonia once again as their preferred and most popular shipping trade event," said Theodore Vokos, Project Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A.
"Such confidence is a clear demonstration of the tremendous appeal Posidonia commands amongst members of the global maritime community and gives us the impetus and enthusiasm to start planning for the 2014 event."
Some of the 1,870 exhibitors from 87 countries were full of praise for the quality of the organization and the majority of the estimated 20,000 visitors who will have gone through Metropolitan Expo's national flags-laden main entrance by the time the exhibition close its gates later tomorrow (Friday 8th June).
"Posidonia is the ideal environment for all companies that care for their reputation. You simply have to be here, it is a must," said Panos Kirnidis, Vice President of Operations at ISB & IRS, the classification specialist who has fielded a total of 18 senior directors from as many countries in a sign of the importance it attaches to its Posidonia presence.
In fact, this strong presence has seemingly brought the desired results as IRS has just finalized a US$1 million dollar plus deal with Axsys Kolkata of India for the joint development of new class rules to cover all aspects of a steel vessel's life cycle.
Posidonia exhibitor International Registries, Inc. (IRI) who provides administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries, was also very pleased with the turnout from this year's Posidonia. "IRI personnel from locations in Reston, London, Geneva, Zurich, Istanbul, Roosendaal and Rome joined the Piraeus office to ensure a strong and diverse team of experts was available to meet with worldwide industry stakeholders who came to Athens to participate in Posidonia this year. We are extremely satisfied with the quality and quantity of the trade visitors," said Bill Gallagher, President, IRI.
Oakwell Shipyard Co Ltd made its Posidonia debut this year in the hope to leverage its global appeal amongst potential buyers. According to M. van Leeuwen, European agent of Oakwell Shipyard: "Posidonia is a very good place to be from a European market perspective and it also attracts the interest of the Greek shipowners. During our presence here we have made some interesting contacts and responded to many requests mainly with Greek shipbrokers."
According to Oman Drydock, Posidonia is an event that provides a significant opportunity and a platform for concluding commercial contracts in one of the largest events in the field of sea navigation and maritime services. "The Greek market is number one in the world. Our presence in Posidonia 2012 is very important for us, as we cooperate with a lot of Greek shipowners and during our presence here we have made some interesting contacts and responded to many requests mainly with Greek shipbrokers», according to In So Eom, Leader/ Marketing Dept.
Posidonia 2012 is sponsored by the Greek Ministry of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping, the Municipality of Piraeus, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, the Union of Greek Shipowners, the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee, the Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners' Association and the Association of Greek Passenger Shipping Companies.
Read more: Latest News