New maritime skills are required for a safe, green transition in Greece

The need for further education and training of seafarers for the green and digital transition, as well as the commitment of the Greek maritime community to cooperate in addressing common challenges through sharing of technical know-how, experience and best practices, were highlighted by the qualitative data from Foundation partner HELMEPA's 2022 Refresher Training Programme.  

HELMEPA – The Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association – came from a voluntary commitment of Greek seafarers and ship owners to inform, educate and motivate the Mediterranean maritime industry towards safeguarding the seas from pollution and accidents at sea.  

Their 2022 Refresher Training Programme was implemented by the Maritime Training Centre with the active participation of 160 shipping companies and organisations. 

Scaling up training and skills development in the maritime sector is becoming increasingly important, with a recent study conducted by DNV and the Maritime Just Transition Task Force estimating that approximately 800,000 seafarers globally will require training on new zero-carbon fuels and digital technologies. 

A total of 35 HELMEPA workshops and seminars in 2022 were attended by 3,121 officers of merchant marine (bridge and engine), the Hellenic Navy and Coast Guard, shipping executives, students of Merchant Marine Academies (MMA) and HELMEPA alumni. 

Lloyd’s Register Foundation has been working with HELMEPA since 2014, helping strengthen a culture of safety among Mediterranean seafarers, reinforcing safety critical practices across the maritime industry and helping to save lives at sea. 

Call to action: 

To read more about the findings from HELMEPA’s Refresher Training Programme, visit their website. To keep up to date with the inspiring work of Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s global grants community, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.