The world’s maritime leaders gathered at Posidonia 2026 in Athens this week, as shipping faces what many in the industry see as a defining decade for both seafarer safety and decarbonisation.

On the third day of the international shipping exhibition, the discussion inside the Athens Metropolitan Expo moved beyond geopolitics, cargo volumes, insurance premiums and charter rates, turning instead to the two issues expected to shape the sector’s future: the safety and dignity of the men and women at sea, and the race to cut emissions across global shipping.

The debate, shaped by senior figures in maritime governance, including the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the president of the Union of Greek Shipowners, and shipping ministers from major flag states, made clear that Posidonia remains one of the key forums where the maritime world takes stock of itself.

Asked to identify the most pressing item on the IMO’s agenda, Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said seafarer wellbeing and seafarer safety remained the organisation’s top priority.

“The industry depends on the people, the men and women, who are on ships day in day out, responsible for keeping global trade running,” he said.

“In zones of conflict, it is the seafarers who are on the front line, dealing with uncertainty, psychological stress and concern for their own families,” he added, noting that the most pressing issue now was to seek de-escalation and the resolution of conflict.

Dominguez said he would continue to engage with all states and stakeholders to “speak up for seafarers”.

His remarks carried particular weight given the current geopolitical climate, with maritime trade routes under pressure from regional conflicts and chokepoint tensions that have placed merchant vessels, and the seafarers aboard them, in harm’s way with increasing frequency.

He also called on the industry to stand with the IMO in defending the principle of freedom of navigation, including the rejection of tolls and discriminatory transit measures.

“I hope that Posidonia will see strong commitments to the energy transition, with increased focus on energy efficiency technologies, alternative fuels and looking to the future with orders for dual fuel ships,” he said.

“Above all, we need to keep investing in our workforce, championing diversity and inclusion while finding more ways to attract the next generation of seafarers,” Dominguez added.

The Greek shipowning community, the largest in the world, also placed seafarer safety at the centre of the discussion.

Union of Greek Shipowners president Melina Travlos said seafarers should never have to face conditions of increased risk, “let alone risks to their very lives”.

“We hope that peace and respect for international law will prevail, so that the seas remain open, safe, and free for the benefit of all peoples,” she said.

At the same time, Travlos warned that shipping’s green transition could not be treated as a challenge that the industry can solve alone, or according to a timeline shaped by regulation rather than technological and infrastructural readiness.

She said shipping’s decarbonisation was “utterly dependent upon external factors,” including the availability of safe fuels, fit-for-purpose technologies and adequate infrastructure.

“The green transition requires technological feasibility, economic viability, global coordination, and a level playing field,” she said.

“Otherwise, higher costs will be imposed on the entire supply chain without delivering the corresponding environmental benefits,” Travlos added.

The discussion also turned to the role of flag states, with Malta presenting one of the more proactive approaches to the current regulatory uncertainty.

Malta’s position is based on the view that global solutions must prevail over regional ones, that technology neutrality through a goal-based approach is essential, and that flag state administrations have a responsibility to provide commercially useful guidance while the wider regulatory framework remains incomplete.

Ivan Tabone, Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at the Malta Ship Registry, said Malta was “actively moving past administrative sluggishness”.

“If a vessel can thoroughly prove its safety through Alternative Design and Arrangements, our technical department will facilitate its deployment now, rather than allowing it to be delayed by bureaucratic backlogs,” he said.

He added that, although the IMO Net-Zero Framework may be facing diplomatic and political delays, work on technical guidelines should not pause.

Malta, he said, was already preparing its fleet for the operational reality of Greenhouse Gas Fuel Intensity metrics.

“Malta continues to advocate firmly for a unified, global level playing field that rewards real-world carbon reduction, rather than forcing shipowners to navigate fragmented, check-the-box regional compliance frameworks,” Tabone added.

Cyprus Shipping Minister Marina Hadjimanolis also used Posidonia 2026 to stress the need for constructive dialogue between policymakers and the industry, at a time when shipping is facing several pressures at once.

“Shipping is facing multiple pressures simultaneously, from geopolitical instability and trade disruptions to the challenges of decarbonisation, digitalisation and the evolving regulatory landscape,” she said.

For this reason, she added, open and constructive dialogue between policymakers and industry stakeholders was “more important than ever”.

Hadjimanolis also referred to the human capital dimension of maritime transformation, noting that the digitalisation of shipping places even greater importance on continuous investment in workforce skills. Her remarks echoed Dominguez’s emphasis on the people at the heart of the industry.

From Asia, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai brought the perspective of one of the world’s leading maritime hubs.

“Amidst a more complex and rapidly evolving operating environment, Singapore remains committed to being a trusted node in global trade,” he said.

He added that Singapore was charting the course ahead by investing in its port’s digital and decarbonisation capabilities, in order to support “a more resilient, efficient and sustainable maritime future”.

Meanwhile, Gibraltar also presented its maritime outlook, with Minister Gemma Arias-Vasquez stressing the jurisdiction’s role as a major Mediterranean port and bunkering hub.

Gibraltar’s position, she said, is shaped not only by its geography, sitting between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, but also by its practical role in supporting seafarers and the wider maritime sector.

She said Gibraltar supports seafarers’ rights through practical welfare support for crews visiting the port, strong Maritime Labour Convention standards for Gibraltar-flagged vessels, and a port community that recognises seafarers as essential to global trade.

On decarbonisation, she added that Gibraltar supports a realistic transition through cleaner bunkering, readiness for alternative fuels and close alignment with IMO objectives, ensuring that the maritime sector reduces emissions while remaining safe, competitive and operationally resilient.

The third day of Posidonia 2026 closed with a shared sense that the maritime industry is standing at an inflection point.

The regulatory architecture for decarbonisation is still being built, under diplomatic strain and with major questions remaining over fuels, technologies and infrastructure. At the same time, geopolitical turbulence is testing the principles of free navigation and the safety of the seafarers who keep global trade moving.

For Posidonia, those two themes, people and planet, are not incidental. They are at the centre of the exhibition’s identity.

Now in its third consecutive edition to receive ISO certification as a sustainable event, Posidonia remains the first exhibition in Greece to achieve that distinction, reflecting the organisers’ aim to minimise environmental impact while maximising benefits for the local economy.

The show’s official charity partner, The Seafarers’ Charity, also reflects the same priority placed by the IMO Secretary-General and the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners on the welfare of seafarers and their families.

Posidonia 2026 is organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping and the Union of Greek Shipowners, with the support of the Municipality of Piraeus and the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee.