BIMCO is hosting two panel sessions during Posidonia 2026.
The two panel sessions explore what might be considered two sides of the same challenge.
Securing a sustainable workforce for shipping means not only understanding supply and demand but also ensuring that seafarers are treated fairly and protected when they need it most.
Panel 1: The Workforce Pipeline: Recruitment, Retention, and Reality – Early insights from the 2026 BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report
What do the numbers tell us about the supply and demand for seafarers today and in future?
This panel will offer an early look at key findings from the forthcoming seafarer workforce report, exploring supply and demand trends, emerging risks, and the factors shaping recruitment and retention. Panellists will discuss what this and other data reveals about future crewing challenges, why workforce sustainability is becoming a strategic issue for shipping, and where industry and policymakers need to focus next.
Moderator: Dr Bev Mackenzie, Head of Intergovernmental Engagement, BIMCO
Panellists:
- Aron Frank Sørensen, Chief Environment Officer, BIMCO
- Marina Papaioannou, Regional Maritime Academies Manager, DNV
- Elpi Petraki, Chartering/Operations/Business Development Manager, ENEA MANAGEMENT INC | President, WISTA International | Secretary General, Hellenic Short Sea Shipowners Association (HSSA)
- TBD
Panel 2: From Criminalisation to Care: Resetting How Seafarers are Treated
Seafarers are essential to global trade, yet too often they are left unprotected when things go wrong.
This panel will explore the growing challenges facing seafarers, from detention and criminalisation to barriers to medical care and repatriation. The panel will consider what governments, flag states, port states, and industry can do to close protection gaps and ensure seafarers are treated fairly, lawfully, and with dignity.
Moderator: Katerina Elikonida Maroudi, Regulatory Manager, BIMCO
Panellists:
- Eleni Antoniadou, Lawyer, Gard AS | English Solicitor
- Alan Croft, Business Development Manager, International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN)
- Dr Joanna-Eugenia Bakouni, Learning & Development Manager - Maritime, Maersk Training | Academic Course Director, Lloyd’s Maritime Academy
- TBD
Location: Posidonia Seminar Room Central
Coffee from 11:30-12:00
Panels 12:00-13:00
13:00-13:30 questions/networking
Meet members of the BIMCO team attending Posidonia 2026. Find out more here.
The seminar is kindly sponsored by:
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