By Paris Tsirigotis

 

The portraits of Greek shipowners and their contribution to our country were captured in a special edition of "Naftemporiki."

 

The publication was presented at an event at the Eugenides Foundation, attended by important representatives of the maritime community.

 

"Shipping should proceed even more dynamically towards society and its debt to the country," the president of the Union of Greek Shipowners, Melina Travlou, stressed.

 

"Most of the time silently, but always effectively, we embrace different needs all over Greece. It is necessary to map the offer of our sector as a national legacy," she added.

 

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Minister of Shipping Yannis Pappas said that "Greek shipping continues to write history in golden letters in the book of world shipping, with the necessary features of pioneering, selflessness, consistency, seriousness, modesty and respect for people by offering to society in multiple ways."

 

Captain Panagiotis Tsakos, founder of the "Maria Tsakos" Foundation, congratulated "Naftemporiki" for the initiative to include in a collective volume the significant contribution of Greek shipowners to society.

 

Panos Laskaridis, president of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, spoke of an impressive effort. Referring to the awards that have been given to many members of the maritime community for their social contribution, he said that we should take it "as an important reminder of the debt that we all have to give something back to our country. The state should not honor us, but we should honor our country," he stressed.

 

The secretary of the Board of Directors of the Union of Greek Shipowners and president of Intercargo, Dimitris Fafalios, thanked "Naftemporiki" for this publication, but also for the wider work it carries out in highlighting the important role of shipping.

 

Leonidas Dimitriadis Eugenides, president of the Eugenides Foundation, referred to the great work of SYN-ENOSIS, the Greek Shipowners' Social Welfare Company, stating that if the foundations join forces, they can have a better cumulative result.

 

George Tsavliris, president of the Tsavliris Cultural Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of Tsavliris Salvage Group, said that "you don't need to have a big fortune but a big heart. What we are trying to do is to help future generations," he emphasized.

 

"It is a special project, which "Naftemporiki" implemented in order to show the society that the Greek shipowners, who have won worldwide recognition with their performance and their pioneering entrepreneurial spirit, have at the same time their eyes turned on their country," the general manager of "Naftemporiki", Spyros Ktenas, said warmly thanking the Melissanidis family for continuing the country's largest financial newspaper.