PH Embassy Visits the Maria Tsakos Maritime Training Center for MANA Mo 2024

Philippine Ambassador Giovanni Palec, First Secretary and Consul Therese Cantada and other members of the Philippine Embassy were welcomed by Tsakos Group officials led by Mr. Yiannis Giannakopoulos, General Manager of Tsakos Shipping & Trading S.A. 

ATHENS 10 October 2024 - Members of the Philippine Embassy in Athens, led by Ambassador Giovanni E. Palec, were welcomed by the officials of Tsakos Group during a visit to the Maria Tsakos Maritime Training Center as part of the Philippine Embassy’s activities to celebrate the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) in September. The Tsakos Group is one of the largest shipping organizations in Greece. Tsakos Maritime Philippines, Inc. (TMPI) was established in 2015 in Makati City with a second office at Landco Business Park, Capantawan, Legazpi City, Albay.

Capt. Panagiotis N. Tsakos, Founder of Tsakos Group and his son, Mr. Nikolas Tsakos, President of Tsakos Energy Navigation, Ltd. (TEN), welcomed Ambassador Palec and the Embassy officers and staff. They personally conveyed their appreciation for the visit and acknowledged the valuable contributions of Filipino crew and employees to the development of the Tsakos Group of Companies.

During the visit, Embassy personnel were given a tour of the facilities of the maritime training center, including the “Ship’s Bridge Simulator” facility, the “Tsakos Performance and Optimization Center”, and their test rooms equipped with engine simulators. Tsakos Group is in the process of upgrading all their simulators and facilities in the training center to include the latest developments in shipping, especially green technology.

Following this year’s theme, “Pamana ng Karagatan: Para sa Kinabukasan, Ating Ingatan”, which highlights the value and importance of maritime resources and the need to protect them for the future, the familiarization visit aimed to increase awareness of the significance of the shipping industry in ensuring the preservation and protection of the world’s marine and environmental resources and to provide better understanding of the work of seafarers and mariners. 

The Maria Tsakos Maritime Training Center is an interactive training facility for officers, employees and crew members of the Tsakos Group of Companies, one of the largest shipping companies in Greece. According to the company’s manpower statistics, Tsakos employs around 2,800 Filipino seafarers and crew members which is 64% of the company’s total manpower. END

The Maria Tsakos Maritime Training Center boasts an inhouse Ship’s Bridge Simulator. Mrs. Venetia Kallipolitou, Commander HCG (Rtd), Cross-Departmental HR and Training Manager of Tsakos Group, explains that the company aims to ensure that their crew are equipped with the proper knowledge and skills through trainings before they are further exposed to their work at sea.

Ambassador Giovanni Palec explains the significance of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo) to Mrs. Venetia Kallipolitou, Commander HCG (Rtd), Cross-Departmental HR and Training Manager of Tsakos Group, Mr. Yiannis Giannakopoulos, General Manager of Tsakos Shipping & Trading S.A. and Mr. Leonidas Margetis, Environmental and Sustainability Manager of Tsakos Shipping & Trading S.A.

For more information, visit  https://www.athenspe.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHLinGreece/.