Melina Travlos celebrates Greek shipping achievements after winning UGS re-election as president

"We are united, and unity means strength. Our Union is the beacon of our solidarity. The closer we stand to the Union, the brighter our light shines, both in Greece and abroad," Ms Travlos stated during the meeting on 6 February.

"Our shipping industry has always been and remains a global leader, standing strong against intense and often unequal competition, which spans from East to West in various forms, from state-owned fleets to vast multinational conglomerates," she added.

Ms Travlos, who leads the Neptune Group of Companies, received the highest number of votes among candidates for the new UGS board. Nikolaos Veniamis, who represents UGS in the European Community Shipowners’ Associations and Nikolas Martinos, head of Thenamaris, followed in the vote count.

The newly elected UGS board was formally assembled on 7 February. Ms Travlos will continue as president, with Michael Chandris and Andonis Lemos serving as vice-presidents. Nikolaos Veniamis and Dimitrios Fafalios will act as secretaries, while John Xylas will serve as treasurer.

Key messages
During her speech, Ms Travlos highlighted Greek shipping as a global model of excellence, leadership and resilience. Despite representing just 0.1% of the world’s population, Greece controls over 20% of global shipping tonnage and 61% of the European fleet.

On the topic of decarbonisation, the UGS president expressed optimism about a universal agreement on mid-term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vessels at the upcoming IMO MEPC meetings. She stated that if an agreement is reached and implemented by March 2027, it would pave the way for aligning the European Union’s regional measures with global regulations.

Addressing concerns about the Greek flag registry, Ms Travlos emphasised the need to restore its attractiveness, as the number of vessels sailing under the Greek flag has been steadily declining in recent years. She underscored the importance of digitalising registration procedures and called on both the state and shipowners to provide greater support to the national registry.