“I have never seen a conference without empty seats after lunch,” said Captain Panagiotis Tsakos to compliment the event’s organisers Nicolas and Olga Bornozis, who plan to hold it every year.

The stated purpose of the forum was to raise awareness of Cyprus as an up-and-coming shipping hub. In this, the island found ready supporters among key players on the Greek shipping scene such as Tsakos and George Tsavliris.

“Cyprus