Greek shipping’s global reach was brought into sharp focus at Posidonia 2026, after Nasdaq marked the opening of the international maritime exhibition in Athens with a Times Square greeting.

The message, displayed on the Nasdaq Tower in New York, read “NASDAQ Welcomes Posidonia 2026 & Wishes All Participants Good Success!”

Its display on one of the world’s most recognisable digital screens reflected Posidonia’s growing international profile, while also pointing to the long-standing presence of Greek-linked shipping companies in global capital markets.

The symbolic gesture came as Posidonia 2026 opened in Athens at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, pressure on major sea routes and renewed debate over how far and how fast shipping’s green transition should go.

Speaking at the 10th Capital Link Maritime Leaders Summit, held as part of Posidonia, Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece was not merely following developments in global shipping but helping to shape them.

“In Greece, we cannot easily say that we are at the top, in any sector. But in the shipping sector, we can support it and be sure that we are the leading power on the planet,” he said.

Kikilias said the scale of Greek shipping gives the country both influence and responsibility, noting that Greece has around 5,800 Greek-owned ships, representing 19 to 20 per cent of the global fleet and 61 per cent of the European fleet, with activity in more than 171,000 ports and port approaches worldwide.

“This is a success story, of which we are proud, and goes back many, many years, to our tradition, to our relationship with the sea,” he said.

He added that Greece must be present where decisions are made, whether at European level, within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), or in wider global discussions on the future of the sector.

“We respect every point of view. We comply with every law. We believe in the IMO. We really want a global framework. We really want to cooperate and work with everyone. But we are present with our own policies,” Kikilias said.

Security concerns were also high on the agenda, with the minister pointing to the impact of conflicts in Europe and the Middle East on trade, energy flows and maritime transport.

“Given that 80-90 per cent of world trade is carried out by sea, maintaining the safety, resilience and free operation of international maritime transport is not just a maritime priority. It is a strategic necessity for the global economy and international stability,” he said.

At the same time, he warned that governments cannot make decisions for shipping without listening to the industry itself.

“You can’t take the industry for granted. You have to ask the industry, talk to the industry,” he said, adding that those operating at sea understand better than anyone the practical challenges facing the sector.

This, he noted, is particularly important in discussions over fuel, regulation and decarbonisation, where political ambition must be matched by technological and commercial reality.

“We definitely want to move forward on everything that has to do with technologies in the sector, digitalization, to deliver a better planet to our children, to work in this direction,” Kikilias said.

“But with realistic steps, which will not leave society behind and will not force us to make decisions that the industry cannot implement,” he added.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivered a similar message during the opening of the exhibition, saying that while the green transition is necessary, it cannot undermine the competitiveness of shipping.

“The green transition is necessary, but in no case can it be done at the expense of the competitiveness of shipping and through this society and production,” he said.

Mitsotakis also referred to Greece’s role in protecting freedom of navigation, citing the country’s participation in the European operation Shields in the Gulf of Aden, where the frigate Psara has been deployed.

He said Greece would continue to raise the issue of safe and unhindered passage through critical maritime routes in international forums, including the UN Security Council.

“The steel whales may travel to the most distant seas, but the soul of Greek shipping always remains grounded in this very place,” the Prime Minister said.

For Mitsotakis, the strength of Greek shipping lies not only in the size of the fleet but also in the relationship between the state and the maritime community.

“It is precisely this alliance of the State with shipping that makes us stronger in our claims,” he said.

European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas also warned that restrictions on maritime passage could create a dangerous precedent for global trade.

“Greece and Piraeus are the Silicon Valley of global shipping, but we must also talk about the challenges,” he said.

Referring to the situation in the Middle East, he said the safety of seafarers must remain the European Union’s absolute priority.

“We cannot accept restrictions on passage, de facto tolls or coercive practices in international waters,” he said.

“Without ships, without ports, there is no competitive Europe,” he added.

The president of the Greek Shipowners’ Association, Melina Travlou, also placed freedom of navigation, seafarer safety and a realistic green transition at the centre of her address.

“When shipping is disrupted, it is not just a sector that is disrupted; it is the very functioning of the world that is disrupted,” she said.

Travlou described sea routes as “the arteries of the global economy”, adding that seafarers should never be expected to work in conditions that endanger their lives.

At the same time, she said shipping should be recognised as “an invisible guarantor of the well-being of peoples” and placed at the core of political decision-making, not only when crises break out.

On decarbonisation, Travlou said the transition must be based on technological feasibility, economic sustainability and global coordination, warning that poorly designed measures could increase costs throughout the supply chain without delivering the intended environmental results.

“The protection of shipping is not just an operational need of international trade. It is a global responsibility, a shared responsibility of all of us,” she said.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez also focused on the human factor, saying seafarers remain the most valuable asset of global shipping at a time when conflicts in the Middle East, the Red Sea and the Black Sea continue to affect maritime transport.

He referred to efforts to secure safe transit and evacuation mechanisms in crisis areas, while also warning about piracy risks and the activity of the shadow fleet.

Meanwhile, Posidonia Exhibitions managing director Theodoros Vokos said this year’s event was taking place at a critical moment for the industry.

Posidonia 2026 has set a new participation record, with more than 2,200 exhibitors, 83 participating countries, 24 national pavilions, 70 high-level conferences and seminars, and more than 40,000 expected participants.

Vokos said the exhibition was not simply a trade event but a global forum where shipping leaders meet to discuss the challenges facing the sector and help shape its future.

“Without shipping, the world stops,” he said, noting that energy flows, industrial production and economic activity all depend on the smooth operation of maritime transport.

The opening message from Athens was therefore clear. Greek shipping remains one of the most powerful forces in global trade, but its future will depend on freedom of navigation, practical regulation, competitive strength and a green transition grounded in realism rather than rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Cyprus is also seeking to strengthen its presence at this year’s Posidonia, with Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis attending the exhibition in Athens before chairing the EU Transport Council meeting on maritime transport in Luxembourg, as part of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.