Supporting Merchant Marine Academies in Greece

Our grant to SYN-ENOSIS, the Greek Shipowners’ Social Welfare Company, is helping to fund a major upgrade of training facilities for cadets and seafarers in Greece’s merchant navy, which have suffered during the country’s economic crisis.

In doing so, Lloyd’s Register Foundation is not only helping the maritime education system in the Mediterranean stay afloat. We’re helping provide vital careers for young people in Greece.

We’ re also supporting this major shipping nation to benefit from a new generation of mariners with state-of-the-art training, beneficial for the efficiency and safety of the industry as a whole.

Merchant Marine Academies serve the world-leading Greek merchant marine sector, and amidst the current jobs shortage, they’re facing a surge in applications. However, explained Theodore Veniamis, President of SYN-ENOSIS: “Greece’s difficult economic situation during the period of 2013-2018 had caused public investment in the marine academies to radically reduce, threatening their capability both to remain operational (due to insufficiently maintained infrastructure) and to provide a high-quality and relevant education (due to increasingly out-dated training materials).”

Our funding has boosted a refurbishment programme already started by SYN-ENOSIS, and the Union of Greek Shipowners, in 2012. The Academies helped are the Merchant Marine Academies of Aspropyrgos, Macedonia, Chios and Kalymnos.

One of the buildings modernised using our grant was Building D at the Aspropyrgos Academy. The work has involved restoration of safety training equipment including the training bridges, training boat and pool.

Through this project the building is now modern and clean, and houses excellent classrooms and staff rooms that are conducive to the learning and development of both the cadets and their professors. All materials used were of high quality, resulting in a training area that not only looks better but meets all health and safety requirements that are necessary for training facilities.

The grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation has helped to provide modern, fit-for-purpose facilities and a more comfortable environment for the students. Since the refurbishment, the quality of the training has vastly improved. We’ve also helped provide new training equipment and the upgrade of simulators, which now provide practical training scenarios that meet the most advanced requirements for the new cadets.