Greek Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Minister Vassilis Kikilias emphasised the growing cooperation between Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta in shipping, following a meeting with his Mediterranean counterparts on the sidelines of the International Chamber of Shipping summit in Rome. 

The meeting brought together Kikilias, Cyprus Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis, Italy’s Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Edoardo Rixi and Malta’s Minister for Sustainable Mobility Chris Bonett. 

Writing on his personal platform, Kikilias said the discussion had taken place “in a particularly warm atmosphere”, noting that cooperation between the four countries had now become an established tradition. 

“Our countries are leading European shipping and share a unique common understanding due to their location in the Mediterranean,” he said. 

The meeting took place during the ICS Rome summit, held under the title ‘Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit 2026 – Forging Partnerships for Resilience’.  

The event brought together government officials, shipping leaders and international organisations at a time when the industry is being tested by geopolitical tensions, regulatory change, supply-chain pressures and the demands of the green transition. 

The Mediterranean meeting carried wider significance. Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta are among the European countries most closely linked to maritime transport, both through their fleets and through their position along key trade routes.  

Their cooperation therefore comes at a time when shipping policy is increasingly shaped not only in Brussels, but also by the realities faced by states on Europe’s southern maritime frontier. 

Kikilias said he attached particular importance to the quadrilateral cooperation, describing it as a partnership that is already producing results in a sector of critical importance for the countries’ economies and societies. 

“I thank them warmly and I am glad that we are companions at all the critical ‘crossroads’ for shipping,” he added. 

The Rome talks also followed Hadjimanolis’ participation in the summit’s opening panel, where ministers and senior maritime figures discussed the future of shipping, competitiveness, sustainability, security and the need for closer international cooperation. 

For Cyprus, the meeting formed part of the Shipping Deputy Minister’s wider three-day working visit to Rome, during which she was scheduled to hold contacts with Kikilias, Bonett and Rixi, as well as with representatives of European institutions and international shipping organisations. 

The timing was also notable. During the same summit, ICS launched its latest Maritime Barometer, which identified geopolitical instability as the leading risk facing global shipping. The report also pointed to cyber threats, regulatory fragmentation, administrative burdens and shifting trade patterns as key concerns for maritime leaders. 

Those concerns have given added weight to regional cooperation between Mediterranean shipping states. For Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta, the challenge is not only to protect their national maritime sectors, but also to ensure that European shipping remains competitive while adapting to new environmental, security and trade pressures. 

The summit also coincided with a change at the top of ICS, after John Denholm CBE was unanimously elected chairman of the organisation’s board, succeeding Emanuele Grimaldi. Denholm said he was taking on the role at a time of considerable upheaval and uncertainty for the global economy and international shipping.