Lloyd's Register Foundation

“The seas around Greece are incredibly busy with everything from huge container ships and ferries to small fishing boats and yachts,” says Constantinos. “Despite advances such as improved ship design and navigation technology, we continue to see too many people hurt and vessels damaged – with the vast majority of incidents attributed to human error and the lack of maritime safety culture.”

“Attitudes to safety are often shaped by the cultural context. Rules and regulations exist, but the challenge is to encourage people to follow them and adopt safe practices. At the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), we’re working hard to strengthen a culture of safety in the Eastern Mediterranean and our activities also extend to Cyprus, in cooperation with our sister Association, CYMEPA.”

The maritime safety project is the fourth HELMEPA campaign to be funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation. At its heart is a Voluntary Incident Reporting Platform (VIRP) that enables shipping companies and operators of smaller craft such as fishing vessels and yachts to share reports of incidents and near-misses. All details are anonymised to protect commercially sensitive information.

“It’s all about learning lessons from the experiences of others,” explains Constantinos, who has worked with HELMEPA since 2001. “Through collaboration, teamwork and the sharing of lessons learned, we can help cut out the sort of incidents that happen time and time again. These include everything from serious accidents due to fires or entry into enclosed spaces, to more trivial, but often equally impactful, incidents due to the incorrect use of pilot ladders and slips, trips and falls on board ships. By May 2023, the VIRP included over 1,200 reports from 36 major shipping companies and members of HELMEPA as well as input from operators of fishing and recreational boats.”

The Foundation’s support also extends to other HELMEPA activities, such as two- and three-day seminars, workshops and webinars that provided maritime training to more than 2,000 participants between 2020 and 2022. Each course covers various safety-related topics and is delivered by expert speakers from within HELMEPA’s membership, including Lloyd’s Register Greece, who share their knowledge, expertise and best practices with their fellow members.

HELMEPA membership has increased seven-fold since 2020 and now encompasses 315 shipping companies and organisations, 2,270 oceangoing vessels of all types and 14,000 Greek seafarers. A recent TV spot to promote the wearing of lifejackets by yacht owners, fishermen and skippers of sailing boats bears testament to the organisation’s growing role in Mediterranean shipping. “In my view, this is one of the most beautiful parts of the world,” adds Constantinos. “By working together, we can also make it one of the safest.”