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Dinner hosted by the International Propeller Club of the United States, Port of Piraeus, in honor of Members of the World Hellenic Inter-parliamentary Association
A dinner was hosted by the President and the Board of Governors of the Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus in honor of the members of the World Hellenic Inter-parliamentary Association (WHIA) at the Yacht Club of Greece on Friday 30 July. The focus was on strengthening the cooperation between the Propeller Club and the PADEE/WHIA in global support of Greek shipping.
The event was attended by 32 members of the PADEE/WHIA together with family members, Greek Government representatives, the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Navy, the President of WISTA Hellas, representatives of the United States Embassy in Greece, the Secretary General of the Hellenic-American Chamber, the President of the Piraeus Marine Club, shipowners and executives of shipping companies, journalists, the Honorary President of the Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus, the International Club’s Regional Vice President for South Europe and Africa, the Board of Governors and members of the Propeller Club of Piraeus.
It is worth noting that all health precautions were meticulously observed. Despite the extreme heatwave and the Summer holidays, the event was extremely well attended by 220 guests.
Following a warm welcome by the Club’s General Secretary, Danae Bezantakou, the Club’s President, Costis J. Frangoulis, welcomed attendees, expressing his pleasure that this was the first physical event of the Club since the outbreak of the pandemic. He emphasized the importance of Propeller Club of Piraeus as the second largest Propeller Club among 72 clubs worldwide, and the oldest and most important club in Greek shipping.
He continued his speech by saying that “we all work intensively, with passion and love so that Greek shipping not only maintains its leading position in the world, but grows to reach its full potential, playing a true leadership role. He stressed that this would need a concerted effort from all. He added that there is an opportunity for the Propeller Club of Piraeus and the PADEE/WHIA to join forces for the good of Greece and the Greeks, to set common goals in order to strengthen shipping as a central pillar of the Greek economy.
In his speech, the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, Dr. George Pateras, spoke eloquently of shipping and the environment. He spoke of the impracticality of moving away from fossil fuels in the immediate future, stressing that this would have a negative impact on the world economy as there are still insufficient technically and commercially viable alternatives. He went on to say that the cost of environmental improvements should not fall only on the shoulders of shipowners. Finally, Dr. Pateras referred to another interesting environmental element, the care and active role of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping in avoiding collisions between ships and whales in Greek waters.
John Belousis, Chairman of the Membership Committee of the Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus, announced a special award to the PADEE/WHIA. He referred to the 25-year history of the PADEE/WHIA and its important role in promoting Greek interests around the world.
Finally, the United States Senator, and President of PADEE/WHIA, Leonidas (Lou) Raptakis, receiving the award from Mr. Frangoulis, referred to the deep love and pride in their Greek heritage shared by members of the Greek diaspora. He referred to the shipping industry as the soul of Greece and pledged to do everything possible with his colleagues in the PADEE/WHIA to protect and promote Greek Shipping around the world.
The members of PADEE/WHIA present at the event, received an honorary plaque from the Governors of the International Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus. The evening ended with celebratory fireworks followed by a musical program featuring internationally renowned Greek soprano, Katia Paschou.
