New Leadership for INTERTANKO’s Hellenic Forum

INTERTANKO’s Hellenic Forum last week elected its new Chairman and governing team. Emmanuel Vordonis of Thenamaris Ships Management will be the next Chairman, succeeding Ceres Hellenic’s Nicholas G. Fistes who held the position for three years, and is the Hellenic Forum’s third Chairman. Nick Fistes will remain as a Vice Chairman alongside Costis Kertsikoff of Eletson Corporation and Spyros Polemis of Seacrest Shipping. They will work together with the Steering Committee and the members of the Forum to stimulate constructive thinking and generate new ideas out of the hands-on international experience of the Greek shipping community. This will support the Forum’s crucial role in the promotion in this region of the Association’s objectives and strategies, and will support the Association’s work in the international domain, as well as ensuring a clear expression of the priorities and concerns of INTERTANKO’s Hellenic members. Hellenic Forum discussion focused on INTERTANKO’s striving for better legislation, wider cooperation and safer, more efficient and eco-friendly tanker shipping. All Forum members expressed their eager commitment to help as individuals to strengthen the input, into the Association’s work, of the Greek tanker community - the biggest single national group within the organisation. The Forum will nurture local links to strengthen the international voice of the Association, enhancing its dialogue with the Greek Shipowners’ Union, the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee, the Greek Government and national representatives in the E.U. and other international fora. Since the Hellenic Forum’s inception in 1997 by the late Captain Erric Kertsikoff of Eletson Corporation, it has become a strong pillar of INTERTANKO’s constitution, acting as the voice for nearly one quarter of INTERTANKO’s membership. Speaking as the Chairman of the Forum, Vordonis stressed that “the key to ensuring the continuing success of this Forum within the Association is in the creation of a broad and strong collective to enable the exchange of new and fresh ideas. In this way, it can make a contribution of significance to all INTERTANKO members as well as to the whole tanker industry