The European Shipping Summit 2025 will take place on the 19-20 March 2025 at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels. The two-day event will include engaging industry sessions, networking opportunities, and high-level dialogues featuring European and international policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders. Register now to secure your spot!
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Dionysios Antonopoulos serves as the Regional Vice President of Business Development for Northern Europe at the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). With over two decades of experience in the maritime industry, Dionysios brings extensive expertise in strategic growth, business development and client relationship management. His career at ABS has been marked by successful roles in various regions, including Europe, China and South Korea where he has driven significant business expansion and strengthened industry partnerships.
Before joining ABS, Dionysios served as the General Manager at Wartsila Greece where he led the newbuilding project department, sales and marketing. His tenure at Wartsila spanned over a decade during which he held several management positions including five years at Wartsila Switzerland.
Dionysios holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture & Marine engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, an MBA from the University of Warwick and has pursued further studies in Maritime law at UCL and Queen Mary University of London. In addition to his corporate leadership, he is an Executive Committee member at SNAME Greece and has contributed to the industry through two publications in “The Naval Architect” – the journal of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
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Emanuele Grimaldi holds several positions within the Grimaldi Group, namely President and Managing Director of Grimaldi Euromed SpA, Managing Director of Grimaldi Group SpA and Board Member of Grimaldi Deepsea SpA, President and CEO of Finnlines Plc, President of Minoan Lines and Malta Motorways of the Sea and Board Member of ACL. Since last year Grimaldi has also served as Chair of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). In addition to his current obligations, he has previously served as President of Confitarma (Italian Shipowners’ Association) and President of ECSA (European Community Shipowners’ Associations). He holds a Degree in Economics and Commerce from the University of Naples.
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Morten A. Lerø is the Managing Director of DNV Maritime Advisory, a globally recognized leader in maritime consulting, renowned for its cutting-edge expertise in safe, sustainable, and digitalized shipping. With a team of 300 experts, Morten A. Lerø drives strategic advisory services that help the industry navigate complex transformations.
Morten A. Lerø holds a Master of Science in Marine Structures from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as executive leadership training from INSEAD, Berkeley Haas, and BI Norwegian Business School.
He has two decades of leadership experience, and is a regular speaker on maritime technology, sustainability, green finance, and digitalization.
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Livia Spera is the General Secretary of European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF). She studied Labour Sociology at Sapienza University and then obtained a Master’s in European Labour Studies at the University of Milan and the University of Warwick. She joined the ETF in 2005 as a political assistant and in 2011 became political secretary for the Dockers and Fisheries Sections. In May 2019, she was nominated ETF Acting General Secretary.
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Soren Toft has been Chief Executive Officer of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company since December 2020.
He oversees all of MSC’s global cargo businesses including the ocean liner MSC, the logistics activities of MEDLOG, the MSC Air Cargo planes, through to the towage activities of MedTug and Log-in Logistica among others.
He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the World Shipping Council, and a member of the Board of Directors of Terminal Investment Ltd (TiL), the terminals business which is majority-owned by MSC.
Before joining MSC, he was Chief Operating Officer and a Member of the Executive Board at Maersk. During his time at Maersk from 1994, he held various leadership positions in Europe and Asia. Soren was also Chairman of Hamburg Süd, Maersk Oil Trading and Maersk Container Industry. Soren holds an executive MBA from IMD (International Institute for Management Development) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Melina Travlos is the Chair of the Board of Neptune Group, a leading player in maritime and inland transport, specializing in vehicle logistics rolling cargo, and dry bulk transportation. Under her leadership, Neptune Group has become one of the foremost providers of intermodal transport, delivering integrated supply chain solutions. The Neptune Group of Companies includes:
Melina Travlos is the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners and the Greek Shipowners’ Social Welfare Company, SYN-ENOSIS, which serves as a key reference point for the collective social responsibility of the shipping community, established by the Union of Greek Shipowners.
She is also a member of the Greek National Committee of the DNV-GL Classification Society, the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Mutual War Risks Association (Bermuda) Limited, and the Executive Committee of the Malta International Shipowners Association.
She is a founding member of Axion Hellas and of Endeavor Greece.
Additionally, Melina Travlos serves as the Honorary Consul of Denmark in Piraeus and is a member of the Board of Trustees at Northeastern University in Boston.
Known for her commitment to social solidarity, Melina Travlos and her companies have made notable contributions to the environment, society and corporate governance. Their efforts in social welfare and community outreach are long-standing, consistent, and highly regarded, establishing a legacy that stands out in the shipping industry for its distinguished activities and impact.
Melina Travlos was born in Athens and studied Business Administration at the Northeastern University in Boston, USA. She speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish. She has one daughter.
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Susannah Streeter is a global financial commentator and international broadcaster. As a bilingual – French-speaking – BBC anchor, with a career spanning two decades in broadcasting, she presented flagship business shows on TV and radio, and now speaks and chairs debates at major conferences around the world, focusing on macro-economics, energy, sustainability, defence and artificial intelligence.
She frequently interviews prime ministers, CEOs, central bankers and military leaders at high-level events which have included The World Green Economy Summit in Dubai, Arctic Frontiers in Tromso, the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association Annual Conference in Oslo, the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference in London, the Global Fund Conference in Lyon, the Our Ocean summit in Oslo, the Sustainable Finance Forum in Abu Dhabi and the EU Nuclear Forum in Prague.
She is interviewed daily on radio and TV as part of her role as head of money and markets for the UK’s largest retail investment platform, Hargreaves Lansdown.
Susannah is also a popular podcaster. She hosts the HL Switch Your Money On investment podcast, presents the Tech Directions podcast with Microsoft and EY, anchored the How to Grow a CMO series, co-hosted the BackSpace and Beyond tech podcast, featured on BBC Radio 2 and was a presenter for the World Business Report podcast on the BBC World Service.
Download the agenda for both days:
Environment – Choosing shipping “How to increase the share of maritime transport in Europe’s trade”
(Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR)/ Interferry/ Confitarma/ Spanish Shipowners’ Association (ANAVE)/Joint Cyprus Shipowners’ Association (JCSA))
Industry – “Maritime transport, enabler of European strategic autonomy through the Global Gateway” (European Dredging Association (EuDA))
People – “Fair transition and human centered decarbonization for seafarers” (European Transport Federation (ETF)/ European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) / International Chamber of Shipping (ICS))
Environment – “Charting a course to green marine fuels – the role of Europe” (World Shipping Council (WSC))
Industry– Europe goes dark without shipping “The Crucial Role of Shipping in Safeguarding the EU’s Energy Security and Supply”
(Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS)/ German Shipowners’ Association (VDR))
People – Shipping and the growth of offshore wind (Norwegian Shipowners Association (NSA))
Environment – “Shipping for net-zero Europe” (European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)/ Transport & Environment (T&E) /International Association of Classification Societies (IACS))
Industry – “Challenges and Opportunities for the Competitiveness and Resilience of the Maritime Technology Industry in the light of
geopolitics and the twin green/digital transition” (SeaEurope/ Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) /European Tugowners Association (ETA))
People – “Dangerous Trade: joining forces against drug trafficking” (World Shipping Council (WSC) / European Community Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ECASBA))
Environment – FuelEU implementation (European Commission / European Seaports Organisation (ESPO) / European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA))
Industry – Financing the green transition (ECSA/Danish Ship Finance)
People – Setting a New Compass: Embracing the Ship Recycling Revolution (BIMCO)/ Royal Belgian Shipowners Association (KBRV))
Following this session, Belgian shipowners invite you to join a presentation by the Great Whale Conservancy on “How European shipping can lead the way in saving whales?”
European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)
European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)
Environment – “Shore Power offers promising carbon cuts – but are we on track?”
Industry – “Towards a competitive EU maritime industrial strategy”
People – “Shipping and the Drugs Trade – Continuing the Fight against Organised Crime and Illicit Trafficking ”
Environment – “Ship recycling – what will happen after June 2025”
Industry – “Shipping Anchors EU’s Future ”
People – “Closing the talent gap – how to empower diversity leadership in shipping”
Environment – “Navigating the Future: Europe’s Competitive Transition to Green Maritime Fuels”
Industry – “Maritime Security in the Red Sea: Challenges and Strategic Responses for current and future threats”
People – “Human element in shipping”
Environment – “Implementing Fit for 55 in the maritime sector: strategies and progress”
Industry – “Strategic Role of Short Sea Shipping and push modal swift”
People – “Decarbonisation Beyond Technology: The Power of Human Action”
Environment – Choosing shipping “How to increase the share of maritime transport in Europe’s trade”
(Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR)/ Interferry/ Confitarma/ Spanish Shipowners’ Association (ANAVE)/Joint Cyprus Shipowners’ Association (JCSA))
Industry – “Maritime transport, enabler of European strategic autonomy through the Global Gateway” (European Dredging Association (EuDA))
People – “Fair transition and human centered decarbonization for seafarers” (European Transport Federation (ETF)/ European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) / International Chamber of Shipping (ICS))
Environment – “Charting a course to green marine fuels – the role of Europe” (World Shipping Council (WSC))
Industry– Europe goes dark without shipping “The Crucial Role of Shipping in Safeguarding the EU’s Energy Security and Supply”
(Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS)/ German Shipowners’ Association (VDR))
People – Shipping and the growth of offshore wind (Norwegian Shipowners Association (NSA))
Environment – “Shipping for net-zero Europe” (European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)/ Transport & Environment (T&E) /International Association of Classification Societies (IACS))
Industry – “Challenges and Opportunities for the Competitiveness and Resilience of the Maritime Technology Industry in the light of
geopolitics and the twin green/digital transition” (SeaEurope/ Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) /European Tugowners Association (ETA))
People – “Dangerous Trade: joining forces against drug trafficking” (World Shipping Council (WSC) / European Community Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ECASBA))
Environment – FuelEU implementation (European Commission / European Seaports Organisation (ESPO) / European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA))
Industry – Financing the green transition (ECSA/Danish Ship Finance)
People – Setting a New Compass: Embracing the Ship Recycling Revolution (BIMCO)/ Royal Belgian Shipowners Association (KBRV))
Following this session, Belgian shipowners invite you to join a presentation by the Great Whale Conservancy on “How European shipping can lead the way in saving whales?”
European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)
European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)
Environment – “Shore Power offers promising carbon cuts – but are we on track?”
Industry – “Towards a competitive EU maritime industrial strategy”
People – “Shipping and the Drugs Trade – Continuing the Fight against Organised Crime and Illicit Trafficking ”
Environment – “Ship recycling – what will happen after June 2025”
Industry – “Shipping Anchors EU’s Future ”
People – “Closing the talent gap – how to empower diversity leadership in shipping”
Environment – “Navigating the Future: Europe’s Competitive Transition to Green Maritime Fuels”
Industry – “Maritime Security in the Red Sea: Challenges and Strategic Responses for current and future threats”
People – “Human element in shipping”
Environment – “Implementing Fit for 55 in the maritime sector: strategies and progress”
Industry – “Strategic Role of Short Sea Shipping and push modal swift”
People – “Decarbonisation Beyond Technology: The Power of Human Action”
Venue – Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Rue du Musée 5
1000 Brussels
For more information on any aspect of this event, please contact us
Email: ess@ecsa.eu
Tel: +32 2 510 61 28
© 2025 European Community Shipowners’ Associations