Capital Link shipping forum to tackle geopolitical and market pressures

Capital Link will host the 9th Annual Capital Link Cyprus Shipping Forum on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Columbia Plaza in Limassol, bringing together senior policymakers, shipowners, financiers and industry leaders at a time of heightened regulatory, geopolitical and market pressure on global shipping. 

The forum takes place under the auspices of the Shipping Deputy Ministry of Cyprus and the Shipping Deputy Minister to the President, Marina Hadjimanolis, and in cooperation with the Cyprus Union of Shipowners (CUS) as lead sponsor. It is also supported by the Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC), alongside other key stakeholders of the Cypriot maritime cluster. 

The event places Cyprus firmly in the spotlight as a maritime, energy and logistics hub, while also emphasising its role as an investment and business destination. 

International speakers and local decision-makers will exchange views on developments across shipping, finance and capital markets, alongside regulatory, geopolitical and operational challenges shaping the industry. 

Proceedings will open with welcome remarks by Capital Link president Nicolas Bornozis and George A. Tsavliris, principal of Tsavliris Salvage Group, before turning to the Cyprus maritime cluster.  

Shipping Deputy Minister Hadjimanolis will deliver a keynote presentation, followed by a one-to-one discussion with Nicolas Montanios of Montanios and Montanios LLC, focusing on resilience, growth and Cyprus’ strategic positioning. 

Attention will then shift to the regulatory path towards decarbonisation. Lloyd’s Register’s Theo Kourmpelis, global business director for tankers, will provide a net-zero regulatory update, setting the scene for a broader debate on fleet renewal and investment decisions.  

Moderated by Bureau Veritas’ Vassilis Dimoulas, the panel will examine how owners are navigating commercial and regulatory uncertainty, with contributions from Antonis Faraklas of Chartworld Shipping Corporation, George D. Pateras of Contships Management, Captain Eberhard Koch of Österreichischer Lloyd Shipping Group and Loukas Barmparis of Safe Bulkers. 

As digitalisation reshapes shipping operations, a dedicated session on artificial intelligence will explore how technology is optimising the commercial and operational landscape.  

The discussion, led by ABS Consulting’s Joe Woods, will feature Konstantinos Vlachos of Castor Maritime, Dimitris Vastarouchas of Danaos Corporation, Konstantinos Stampedakis of ERMA TECH GROUP, Vasileios Petousis of Seanergy Maritime Holdings and Theo G. Baltatzis of Technomar Shipping. 

The focus will then move to shipmanagement, with an emphasis on safety, people and performance in a changing maritime environment.  

Executives including Basil Sakellis of Alassia NewShips Management, Captain Franck Kayser of Asyad Shipping Company, Dieter Rohdenburg of InterMaritime Shipmanagement and Prabhat Kumar Jha of MSC Shipmanagement Cyprus will assess how management models are evolving amid tighter regulation and workforce pressures. 

Financing conditions will take centre stage in a session on ship finance, moderated by Hill Dickinson’s George Zambartas. Banks and financiers including Nicholas Pavlidis of Bank of Cyprus, Philipp Wünschmann of Berenberg, Aris Patounas of Eurobank Cyprus and Jan William Denstad of Sole Projects will review lending appetite, capital availability and structuring trends in a shifting market environment, alongside Alpha Bank Cyprus. 

Following the networking lunch, the forum will broaden its scope to energy and geopolitics, with a panel on advancing energy security and the vertical corridor examining US-Cyprus cooperation in the new energy landscape.  

The discussion will feature Energy Minister Michael Damianos alongside Daniel E. Mangis, chargé d’affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Nicosia, moderated by Nicolas Bornozis. 

A keynote address by Panagiotis C. Laskaridis, president of Laskaridis Shipping Company and former president of ECSA, will then reflect on leadership and responsibility as shipping stands at a crossroads.  

This will be followed by a panel on the interplay of global commerce, regulation and geopolitics, moderated by Stephenson Harwood’s Andreas Papachristodoulou, with contributions from Mark O’Neil of Columbia Group, Spyros Vlassopoulos of Ionic and Filippo Fabbri of Lockton P.L. Ferrari. 

Market dynamics will return to the fore with a session offering charterers’ insights into whether the commodity rally is sustaining a strong capesize market into the rest of 2026.  

Representatives from Cargill Ocean Transportation and Mercuria Energy Trading, including Timothy Fitzhugh Barrett and Carl Andrew Dacombe, will share their perspectives under the moderation of Polys Hajioannou of Safe Bulkers and president of the Cyprus Union of Shipowners. 

The forum will conclude with a shipowners’ panel examining how companies are investing, operating and competing in a volatile environment.  

Executives including Andreas Hadjiyiannis of Cyprus Sea Lines and Hellenic Tankers, Filippos Efstathiou of Efnav Company, Aristides J. Pittas of Euroseas and EuroDry, and George Mouskas of Olympia Ocean Carriers and Zela Shipping will discuss strategy and execution, moderated by DNV Maritime’s Leonidas Karystios. 

Closing remarks will be delivered by George A. Tsavliris, followed by a cocktail reception, rounding off a full-day programme.