The maritime cooperation between Greece and India at the heart of an Enterprise Greece online event
Athens, 27 November 2023 | Enterprise Greece, Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Invest India organized an online event on the shipping industry of Greece and India on November 21, 2023. The online event, which drew the interest of more than 80 businesses and institutions in Greece and India, aimed to explore possibilities for cooperation in the maritime sector of the two countries and to promote bilateral trade.
Mrs. Betty Alexandropoulou, Executive Director & Member of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Greece, with her welcome speech noted that lately, Greece and India have strengthened their bilateral relations, both strategically and commercially, already achieving significant results. Regarding shipping, she stressed that it is undoubtedly an integral part of the Greek identity and underlined that the Greek merchant fleet constitutes about half of the EU fleet, while 31% of tankers worldwide are of Greek interests, as well as 25% of dry cargo vessels. In addition, he referred to the recent proposal of the Indian government for the creation of a new railway and sea corridor that will connect India and Greece through the Middle East, strengthening the ties between India and the European Union.
Mr. Vassilis S. Korkidis, President of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce & Industry, mentioned, that Greece and India are two countries in which the shipbuilding sector is being revived at a time when shipyard capacity in Asia is facing constraints due to the large number of orders for new buildings. He stressed that this juncture could bring Greece and India closer together to develop synergies that will lead to a win-win relationship but also will be an opportunity for the further development of bilateral economic relations.
H.E. Rudrendra TANDON, Ambassador of the Embassy of India in Greece, invited the interlocutors of the seminar to refer to preferred ways of approaching Greek shipping companies by their Indian counterparts to conclude trade agreements in the shipping sector.
In the main part of the event, Mr. Korkidis referred to the Greek Shipbuilding Industry, Mr. Achladitis, Vice President of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce & Industry covered the topic of Maritime Logistics, while Mrs. Kritika SINGH, Ann. Vice President of Shipping Sector of Invest India, presented India’s shipping industry and mentioned, India’s port infrastructure, among other things.
H.E. Mr. Dimitrios IOANNOU, Ambassador of Greece to India, added that the Greek merchant fleet contributes significantly to the development of the Indian economy, which will soon be the third largest in the world.
Opportunities for cooperation between Greece and India in the shipping sector were presented in detail by Mr. George C. XIRADAKIS, Managing Consultant, XRTC Business Consultants, President of the Association of Greek Shipping Banking and Financial Executives, who spoke about the globalization of Greek shipping and the future of the Greek-Indian relationship in the shipping industry. Also, Mr. George ALEXANDRATOS, Vice-President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, referred to the synergies and prospects presented by the maritime cooperation between India and Greece. Ms. Eleni POLYCHRONOPOULOU, President of the Greek Marine Equipment Manufacturers (HEMEXPO), underlined the positive impression she gained from HEMEXPO’s participation in the national pavilion at the recent marine equipment exhibition in India INMEX SMM India 2023 (Mumbai, 4-6 October 2023). It is noted that it was the first time that our country participated with a national pavilion in this exhibition, with the support of Enterprise Greece, which Mrs. Polychronopoulou thanked in her speech.
, underlined the positive impression she gained from HEMEXPO's participation in the national pavilion at the recent marine equipment exhibition in India INMEX SMM India 2023 (Mumbai, 4-6 October 2023). It is noted that it was the first time that our country participated with a national pavilion in this exhibition, with the support of Enterprise Greece, which Mrs. Polychronopoulou thanked in her speech.</p>/sddefault.webp)