Posidonia on course for record event
With more than three-and-a-half months to go till opening day on June 4, leading global shipping exhibition Posidonia 2018 is heading for a record number of participants, having already leased out over 90 percent of its exhibition slots.
Shipping’s biennial Athens fair is a magnet for the global industry, with shipyards, shipping companies, mechanical equipment producers and shipping hubs vying to attract Greek interest. They will all be in Athens in the first week of June to address the world’s biggest shipping community, as well as the many foreign businesspeople who will be present.
Compared to the same month ahead of the previous edition in June 2016, organizers have already taken 10 percent more bookings, and estimate that over 1,850 firms will be present in a formal capacity while many more will pay a visit to the exhibition, as some 22,000 visitors are expected this year.
“Posidonia’s strength and appeal is drawn by the collective quality and reputation of its exhibitors, delegates and visitors, first-timers or repeaters, who commit funds and resources every two years to be part of a signature industry event that is a true celebration of everything shipping stands for,” said Theodore Vokos, executive director of Posidonia Exhibitions SA.
This year’s event will take place at the Metropolitan Expo Center, next to Athens International Airport, on June 4-8.
A new feature is the 4th Energy & Shipping Seminar, organized by the Institute of Energy of South East Europe (IENE) on June 8. This will provide an in-depth analysis of global oil and gas markets and examine the factors that define the correlation between energy cargoes and shipping.
The organizer announced that Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, and its partners have chosen Posidonia 2018 for the global unveiling of their International Maritime Industries (IMI) joint venture. When the yard is fully operational in 2022, IMI will offer new build and maintenance, repair and overhaul of vessels, including very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and offshore rigs.