Awards Ceremony 2026
ESG Shipping Awards International 2026 Celebrates Global ESG Leadership Across the Shipping Industry in Athens.
The ESG Shipping Awards International 2026 successfully brought together more than 400 maritime companies and industry stakeholders in Athens, as shipping companies from around the world came together to see their ESG actions and initiatives recognized and awarded for their contribution to a more sustainable and responsible shipping industry.
Held in Athens for its fourth consecutive year, the awards received a record number of almost 300 entries, with more than 50% submitted by international shipping companies representing all continents confirming the growing global momentum behind ESG transformation within the maritime sector.
The event was presented by Principal Organizer Mrs. Helena Athoussaki together with the host of the evening, Mrs. Dora Anagnostopoulou, while opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Emmanouil Koutoulakis, Secretary General of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and Mr. George Sp. Alexandratos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping.
Special recognitions included the Honorary Motivational Leadership Award presented to Mr. Costas Delaportas, CEO of DryDel Shipping Inc., for his outstanding leadership and personal contribution to advancing ESG principles within the company’s strategy and operations, as well as the Special ESG Initiative Award presented to IMPA SAVE for its collective impact through sustainable procurement and emissions reduction initiatives.
A keynote discussion by Mr. Aveesh Acharya, EMEA Sustainable Finance Market Specialist, Bloomberg L.P., explored how geopolitical instability is reshaping trade routes, operational resilience, emissions exposure, and ESG risk across global shipping.
Independence & Transparency
The ESG Shipping Awards International continues to operate under a strict independent evaluation framework. Participating shipping companies are not permitted to sponsor the event, ensuring that all recognitions reflect merit, measurable ESG performance, and the assessment of the independent judging committee. For full transparency, each award presentation also displayed the winning action, company size and ESG profile level.
New Transformation Leader Award Introduced
This year also marked the introduction of the new Transformation Leader Award, recognizing companies fundamentally transforming their business models through innovation, future fuels, digitalization, fleet renewal and long-term ESG integration.
Community Contribution: The Most Active Category
The Community Contribution category received the highest number of nominations, highlighting the maritime industry’s growing commitment to healthcare, education, environmental restoration, and social impact.
To recognize this exceptional participation, the organizing committee also introduced special ESG Recognition Medallions for additional outstanding initiatives.
During the closing of the ceremony, Principal Organizer Helena Athoussaki announced the continued international expansion of the platform, revealing plans to expand the ESG Shipping Awards platform into Asia in 2027.
The evening concluded with the official winners’ family photo followed by a live celebration performance.
The organizing committee extended sincere appreciation to:
Judging Committee: J.A.A.J. (Jan) Fransen Executive Director – Green Award Foundation | Chair of the Judging Committee
Dafne Anghelidis, Executive Committee Member of WISTA International, Vice President of WISTA Argentina
Prof. Maria Boile, Director Quantitative Analysis in Shipping Laboratory | Department of Maritime Studies | University of Piraeus
Andreas Chrysostomou, Executive Director, Clean Shipping Alliance
Sascha Gill CEO, United Waterways – Vice President, European River Cruise Association
Dr. Tafsir Matin Johansson, Associate Professor, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) in Malmö, Sweden
Prof. Andreas A. Papandreou, Environmental Economics National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Dr. Aspasia Pastra, Assistant Professor, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, World Maritime University
Elisabeth Vishnevskaja, Head of Fixed Income, PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment)
The organizers extend their sincere appreciation to event planner Stelina Markoulaki and the team at Digital Shadows as well as the entire production team, whose professionalism and creative vision brought the ESG Shipping Awards 2025 INTERNATIONAL to life ensuring a seamless, elegant, and impactful experience for all guests.
The organizers extend their sincere gratitude to the event’s partners — ABS, Bloomberg, BPCO Ship Brokers, Bureau Veritas, Coral, CSE, Dynamic Group of Companies, Emicert, Enablon, Eurobank, Eurochem International, EY, Franman, GMCG, GTP Works, Jotun Performance Coatings, Learning Seaman, Lloyd’s Register, Margetis Maritime, Marine Tours, Marichem Marigases Worwide Services, Moore, Oceanscore GmbH, Osapiens, PCT, PPG Greece, RINA, Skuld, Tallon Commodities, The Liberian Registry, The Marshal Islands Registry, Timagenis Law Firm, VDI Law Firm, Yodiwo whose support and collaboration were instrumental in making the ESG Shipping Awards 2025 INTERNATIONAL a global platform for impact, innovation, and industry-wide recognition
Partners: ABS | Bloomberg | Coral Marine | DeepSea TECHNOLOGIES | EUROBANK |The Liberian Registry
Ambassadors: Bureau Veritas | CSE | Εmicert | EUROCHEM INTERNATIONAL| GTP Works | Harbor Lab | Jotun Performance Coatings | KPMG | MARICHEM MARIGASES WORLDWIDE SERVICES | Marine Tours | Moore | Oceanscore | osapiens | Piraeus Container Terminal | PIRAEUS PORT AUTHORITY S.A.| RINA | Skuld | TÜV NORD Hellas | VDI Law Firm
Supporting organizations: Alba Graduate Business School – The American College of Greece| AMMITEC| Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping | Athens Exchange Group | Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) | Corporate Responsibility Institute (CRI) | CSR Hellas, Green Award | HELMEPA | Hellenic Institute of Marine Technology |Hellenic Shortsea Shipowners Association | Hellenic-Spanish Chamber of Commerce | IBIA | IMPA SAVE | Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS)-Hellenic Management Centre | INTERMEPA | Project Connect |Propeller Club | SDSN Greece | Wista | Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Communication Supporters All About Shipping |Business Events Calendar| Crisis Monitor| Cyprus Shipping News| Efoplistes News| ELNAVI| Hellas Tour| MARITIME INTELIGENCE| Maritimes Economies| Maritimes.gr| Mononews| Naftika Chronika| Newsfront Naftiliaki| Piraeus365.gr| The Business Paradox
Event Team: Digital Shadows Agency |The Flying Pig
