Danae Bezantakou, CEO of Navigator Shipping Consultants and founder of YES FORUM, speaks on “Fair Winds and Following Seas” on Voice of Greece from Posidonia 2026 about young people, maritime education, and the opportunities offered by the shipping industry.
“Our shipping sector has plenty of room for young people, and we need them. At the same time, we must understand that young people need to discover shipping and the skills associated with it from an early age. Companies do not hire solely on the basis of degrees; they also look for skills, initiative, and character. Young people should enter the workforce and gain practical experience as early as possible.
There is room and there are opportunities for everyone. We once had 150,000 seafarers; today we have around 5,000. We need to address this here in Greece so that young people do not feel compelled to leave the country. Shipping offers real prospects and career opportunities, and I encourage our young people to explore them.
Today’s young people in Greece are not sufficiently informed about the professions and career paths connected to shipping. Maritime industries have largely been absent from their everyday awareness, and it is time for that to change,” Ms. Bezantakou notes, among other things.