Panos Laskaridis, founder of Laskaridis Shipping, delivered a stark warning at the 9th Naftemporiki Shipping Conference, stating that the real crisis facing the shipping industry is not Trump or the Houthis, but rather the collapse of the Greek registry and a severe shortage of officers.
As Laskaridis explained, it is not geopolitical tensions or trade wars and Trump’s policies that are the factors that concern Greek shipping companies on a daily basis and shape their strategy.
“Nobody is concerned with Trump. We are concerned with the crews, with the operation of the ships.”
“Let’s talk about what really affects us”
Laskaridis, who participated in the 3rd section of the Conference entitled “Shipping in Disruption: Threat or Opportunity?”, directly questioned the excessive emphasis given to geopolitical or commercial shocks.
“Disruptions have always existed. From sails to steam, from wars to crises. Some of what we heard is significant, others are temporary, and others – like artificial intelligence – are permanent and serious. But what concerns me are what affects the daily life of my crew, my company, my fleet,” he stressed.
The great challenge of decarbonization
Regarding the green transition, he stated that shipping is being called upon to do the impossible under pressure: “There is a climate crisis. We have to go to decarbonization. But not like this. There are no logistics yet, there are no fuels, we don’t know where we are going. Yes, let it happen. But not by force.”
He also criticized the fact that shipping is being disproportionately targeted: “Why isn’t there similar pressure on other sectors? Because shipping is politically weak and has a lot of money. In 2010 we didn’t join the COP and then everyone attacked us,” he explained.
Data and artificial intelligence: “Great disruption”
Panos Laskaridis described digitalization and the use of data as a decisive disruption for shipping. “Data helps me know my ship, my crew, avoid charterer demands, move from all-time to condition maintenance. These are what concern me – not Trump’s tariffs.”
Alarm over the shortage of officers and abandonment of the Greek flag
In one of the most resonant points of his intervention, he warned: “In 5 years, 100,000 new officers will be needed. With 60,000 ships, 1.5 officers per ship will be missing. And I see that in 5 years there will be no Greek registry. Today, there are only 450 Greek-flagged ships on the sea. This is a disruption.”
“Shipping is not just about shipowners”
In closing, Laskaridis highlighted the value of the broader shipping ecosystem: “Until 15 years ago we thought that shipping was only about shipowners. When I went to Brussels I realized that it is the entire maritime sector. This is where the power is.”
